Bhadrak: A married man was apprehended by local residents after he allegedly poured petrol on a minor schoolgirl in an apparent attempt to set her on fire following the rejection of his repeated advances in Odisha's Bhadrak district. 

The incident occurred under the Dhusuri police station limits in Fatepur panchayat on Tuesday.

According to preliminary information, the accused had allegedly been persistently proposing to the minor girl for a relationship for a long time. Despite being married, he reportedly continued to pursue her, but the girl repeatedly rejected his advances.

On Tuesday morning, while the minor was on her way to school, the accused allegedly intercepted her and poured petrol on her in an alleged attempt to kill her.

Hearing the girl's cries for help, local residents rushed to the spot and overpowered the accused before he could allegedly carry out any further attack. They later handed him over to the police.

Police reached the scene and took the accused into custody. He is currently being detained at Dhusuri Police Station, where officers are questioning him and investigating the circumstances leading to the incident.

The minor escaped without being set on fire due to the timely intervention of local residents.

Police have launched an investigation to ascertain the sequence of events and are expected to register appropriate charges based on the findings of the probe. Further details are awaited.