A young woman died of severe burns yesterday after allegedly using kerosene to set herself on fire in front of a flat in Bashundhara Residential Area demanding that a man who resided there admit that they were married and provide financial support.

Her family members claimed to The Daily Star that the man and his first wife set fire to the 25-year-old woman, who resided in South Badda and had married him five years ago.

However, Bhatara Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Nurul Muttakin said the woman, before passing away at Dhaka Medical College Hospital's (DMCH) bum unit around 10:00pm, confirmed that the bums were self-inflicted.

He quoted security guards at the building as saying, the woman knocked on the third floor flat for some time around 8:00pm on Thursday and set herself on fire on getting no response.

Hearing her scream, people in the building put the fire out and first took her to Apollo Hospitals and then to DMCH, he said adding that the man refuted the woman’s claims, saying they were just former business partners.