A 40-year-old man allegedly set himself on fire in a shopping mall in Rohini, outside Delhi, on Friday afternoon when a store refused to replace a “broken” mobile phone that he had given to his niece for classes in line, police said.
The man, who makes a living repairing inverters, suffered 40% burns and is being treated at Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hospital, according to Delhi Police.
PK Mishra, deputy police commissioner (Rohini), said the man is stable and remains under observation at the hospital.
Mishra said the man had bought the smartphone from a store in a major shopping center in Rohini a month ago and gifted it to his 14-year-old niece, who is a ninth-class student at a public school, for her online classes. .
“According to the family, the phone began to heat up and fail. He visited the store on November 6 and demanded that the phone be replaced, but the company cited their policy of denying him a replacement, “DCP said, based on his family’s complaint.
Further correspondence with the company was unsuccessful and the same policy was again cited for denial, DCP said.
“On Friday, he decided to set fire if his application was rejected,” the police deputy commissioner said.
he said, citing family members.
When his application was again rejected on Friday, Mishra allegedly filled an empty bottle with gasoline from his scooter parked outside the mall and then set himself on fire as he made his way down the stairs.
Police said they are continuing to investigate the circumstances of the alleged suicide attempt.
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