Man sets himself ablaze

A man set himself on fire near Ramlila ground for allegedly losing money while gambling, police said.

The victim, identified as Kalu (40), hails from Bihar and was living as a vagabond in central Delhi. At around 2.30 pm, he stood nearby Ramlila ground with a bottle of kerosene and threatened to set himself on fire. But, before the cops could reach, he poured kerosene over him and set ablaze. With the help of other people, the police doused off the fire, but he was almost completely burnt. The victim was taken to the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital where his condition is said to be serious. Reportedly, Kalu, before setting himself on fire, was also shouting slogans supporting Baba Ramdev, told the police.

During investigation it has been found that Kalu was perturbed because he lost a lot of money in gambling. 'No suicide note, however, has been found. We are still investigating,' said a police official.