A man allegedly burned his 40-year-old wife alive after she stopped him from consuming alcohol in a village in Budaun, police said on Friday.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SP) Alok Priyadarshi said the accused, Muneesh Saxena, was an alcoholic and returned home in a drunken state on Thursday night.
When his wife Shanno tried to stop him from drinking more, Saxena, took petrol from his motorcycle, poured it on her and set her ablaze, the officer said.
Shanno's mother-in-law, Munni Devi, tried to help her and got burns on her hands. When they saw their mother burning, her two children Sunny, 8, and Arjun, 5, raised an alarm and called the neighbours, he said.
The locals put out the fire and called police, he added.
The incident took place in Naithua village in Budaun under Mujaria Police Station area.
Shanno's body has been sent for post mortem and her mother-in-law is undergoing treatment at a district hospital
Police teams have been deployed to look for Saxena who is currently at large, the officer said.
