SUNGAI PETANI, June 7 ― A man who separated from his wife 10 years ago allegedly hurled a petrol bomb at her in an incident here almost two weeks ago that resulted in her death from burns at the Sultanah Bahiyah Hospital yesterday.

Kuala Muda Police acting chief Supt Saifi Abd Hamid said the 44-year-old man, who had been homeless since the separation, had been arrested.

He said the man threw a bottle containing torched petrol at his wife, also 44, on May 26 as she was cleaning chicken at a sink behind her house.

The couple's 19-year-old son went to her aid upon hearing her cries for help and reportedly saw his father speeding away on a motorcycle, he told Bernama.

Saifi said the woman rushed into the bathroom to douse the flames on her body, after which her son sent her to the Sultan Abdul Halim Hospital. She was subsequently transferred to the Sultanah Bahiyah Hospital.

"At 8.27am yesterday (June 6), the Burns Unit of the Sultanah Bahiyah Hospital informed the police that the woman had died,” he said.

Saifi said the couple's son informed the police that his parents were in the process of getting a divorce and that they had been living separately for 10 years. ― Bernama