Najarana Khatun was found with severe burn injuries in her room that caught fire at around 2 pm. The neighbours suspected that her in-laws might have attempted to burn her to death.

They reached the incident site as they heard someone crying and saw smoke billowing from the house. They rescued the victim and took her to Gajendra Narayan Singh Sagarmatha Zonal Hospital.

The emergency ward at the hospital said the victim suffered 90 percent burn injuries. After the primary treatment, the hospital referred the victim to Dharan-based BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences.

The incident is mysterious, according to the locals, as there was nobody in the house when the incident occurred and stench of kerosene was emanating from the victim's room. There was minor damage in the room, added the locals.

Najarana's mother-in-law was at her neighbour's house along with two other women while her father-in-law was at his shop at the time incident. The victim's husband Gudu Ansari went to Saudi Arabia 15 days ago for foreign employment.

"I was at the shop when a neighbour informed me about the incident. I immediately rushed to the hospital. I know nothing about the incident," the victim's father-in-law told the Post at hospital.

The local people said that the victim had frequent dispute with her mother-in-law and sister-in-law.

Deputy Superintendent of Police Raj Kumar Baidawar said investigation was underway. "We prioritised the treatment of the critically injured victim. It will be clear whether it is an attempted murder or suicide after the detailed investigation," he said.