Mysore : Five persons of a family were charred to death and three others battling for life with grave burn injuries in a major fire that destroyed their house at the Bidi colony at Yadavagiri police station limits in Mysore in the wee hours of April 12, Friday.

Those killed in the mishap are Amir Jaan(80), Farveen (30), Rizwan(31),  Arbia (5) and Aran(2). Reshma, Afroze and Yasin Pasha are undergoing treatment.

The fire was seen at around 3.30 am in the colony mostly inhabited by poor people. There was the sound of a loud explosion, possibly a cylinder blast. Immediately, fire had engulfed the entire house. Though police and fire tender vehicles rushed to the spot, by then the fire had charred to death five persons.Of those killed Farveen was newly married.

Though a cylinder explosion is said  to be the cause of the fire, locals suspect this to be a sabotage and that some miscreants might have set the house on fire by dousing kerosene. The suspicion mainly because people could smell kerosene as the house was in flames.

Even Reshma, one of the injured says someone had set their house ablaze. According to her, a KSRTC driver named Amir Khan was in love with Farveen, but the family refused to give her in marriage to him and got her married to some other person. Reshma, in her statement has said  angered by the incident, Amir Khan had set the house on fire out of vengeance.

Police are investigating the case.