The wife of a retired inspector died while she was warming herself by the fire in the Dubagga area. The incident happened late on Friday evening, said police.
According to police and the neighbour, the woman was identified as Jyoti Gautam and was the third wife of Ramotar Gautam, 65. The retired policeman lived with his wife on the fourth floor of the building near the Phuleshwar temple in Dubagga.
“The neighbors have informed us about the death of two previous wives, who also died in incidents of fire. We are trying to investigate the matter from all angles,” said station house officer, Dubagga, Abhinav Kumar Verma. “It is also said that the deceased had some mental disability. We are waiting for the post-mortem examinations to further take up the matter,” the inspector added.
Gautam told the police that late on Friday evening, Jyoti was warming herself with a fire in a pan and was lying on a cot made of woven plastic. She kept the burning pan under the cot and the fire started when the plastic of the cot caught fire.
According to police, Ramotar retired from the Intelligence Department Lucknow in 2018, and was currently getting income from houses put up for rent. Police and the fire brigade team reached the spot and controlled the fire. The police are investigating the matter considering it suspicious.
The locals have told police that his first wife Rampati died in 1990, while the second wife Shashilata died two years later in 1992. The death of even the third wife, Jyoti, makes things look suspicious.
