INDIA: MAN SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR BURNING WOMAN ALIVE AFTER RAPE ATTEMPT IN MATHURA

May 9, 2026:

Mathura district court on May 5, 2026 sentenced a 28-year-old man from Haryana to death for attempting to rape his sister's relative and killing her by setting her on fire after she resisted, officials said.
District Judge Vikas Kumar convicted the accused, Umesh Kumar, in the case on April 30 and pronounced the sentence on May 5, terming it a "rarest of rare" crime.
The court awarded capital punishment under Section 103(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for murder, along with a fine of Rs 1 lakh.
It also sentenced him to seven years' rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 20,000 under Section 333, and five years' rigorous imprisonment with a fine of Rs 5,000 under Section 74.
According to District Government Counsel (Criminal) Shivram Singh Tarkar, the incident took place on March 11, 2025, in Koh village under Farah police station area of Mathura district.
The accused, a resident of Hasanpur in Palwal district of Haryana, used to frequently visit his sister's in-laws' house. During these visits, he developed contact with Rekha, the wife of his sister's brother-in-law, and had earlier lured her away, following which a complaint was filed and she was later recovered by police.
However, the accused allegedly continued to pursue her. On the day of the incident, he reached her house disguised as a woman and attempted to sexually assault her. When she resisted, he poured a flammable substance on her and set her on fire, Tarkar said.
Hearing her screams, family members rushed inside, following which the accused tried to escape by jumping from the roof and sustained injuries.
The victim was initially taken to a community health centre and later referred to SN Medical College in Agra, where she succumbed to her injuries the same night.
The prosecution told the court that the crime was premeditated and not an impulsive act.
It also came to light during the trial that the accused had been previously convicted in 2018 by a Palwal court for a separate heinous crime committed in 2016, in which he was sentenced to life imprisonment. He was out on bail at the time of the present offence, pending appeal.
The court, taking into account the gravity of the crime and the accused's criminal history, awarded the death penalty.