Burnt lover dies

A young woman who was set ablaze by her lover has died at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra.

Dora Dunyo, who was the only surviving witness police were depending on to solve the mystery of the incident which took place on February 28, 2013 in the Trassaco Valley area at Adjirigano near East Legon in Accra, died on Thursday while doctors were waiting for her to come out of coma.

The 34-year-old lady, who died at the Plastic and Burns Center of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital where she was in a coma for four days, had been set ablaze by her lover who later lost his life too.

Her body had since been deposited at the Korle-Bu morgue awaiting autopsy.

The police had to suspend further investigations due to the death of the victim, who was the star witness in the case.

The deceased sustained serious injuries when her boyfriend, identified only as Bismark, with the aid of petrol, set her on fire together with the wooden structure which housed them in an uncompleted building near the Trassaco Valley Estate at Adjirigano.

Initial reports gathered by the Adenta police indicated that Bismark poured petrol on the victim and got his attire partly soiled with the flammable substance.

However, while he tried to escape after setting his lover on fire, his petrol soaked attire caught fire too.

DSP Stephen Kofi Ahiatafu, the Adenta District Police Commander, said earlier that the police said earlier that the police were awaiting the resuscitation of Ms Dunyo, while she was in coma, in order to obtain information on the actual cause of the incident.

He said a complainant who gave his name as Pastor Deku, reported the incident on Thursday February 28, 2013 after the victim was rushed to the hospital in a critical condition.

According to the Adenta Commander, the pastor reported that he had about the victim shouting for help at about 12:30 am on the sad day of the incident and quickly went to her aid.

With the help of some neighbours, the victim, whose whole body was badly burnt, was rushed to the Legon Hospital.

DSP Ahiatafu said the police proceeded to the scene soon after the incident was reported and later followed up to the Legon Hospital where the victim had been admitted and was receiving treatment.

Two hours later, a search party found the lover of the victim on the compound of a nearby house with several injuries.

The lover was said to have tried escaping by scaling the wall of an uncompleted house close by but because he was too weak, his legs could not carry him further.

When the police found him, the suspect was rushed to the same Legon Hospital but before the doctors could attend to him, he died.

The doctor’s initial report said he was 80 per cent burnt. The body of the suspect, according to the Adenta Commander, was deposited at the Police Hospital for autopsy.