Madurai LIC office fire was not an accident: Colleague burnt woman alive for flagging insurance claim irregularities

• Police confirm LIC officer's death in Madurai fire was murder, not accident
• Colleague Ram arrested for allegedly setting Kalyani Nambi on fire with petrol
• Kalyani's probe into insurance claim irregularities reveals motive

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Tamil Nadu Police have concluded that the death of a senior woman officer in a fire at a Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) office in Madurai in December was a case of murder and not an accident, as initially believed. A male colleague has been arrested for allegedly setting her on fire after dousing her with petrol on December 17.

The arrested accused has been identified as T Ram, an Assistant Administrative Officer posted at the LIC office on West Perumal Maistry Street. Police say Ram killed 54-year-old Kalyani Nambi, who was found charred to death inside her office cabin. At first, the fire was suspected to have been caused by a short circuit in an air-conditioner.

However, further investigation revealed that Ram allegedly poured petrol inside Kalyani Nambi’s cabin and set it on fire. Investigators believe the crime was committed to silence her after she raised serious concerns about irregularities in insurance claim settlements.

The investigation revealed that several insurance agents had complained to Kalyani that Ram had been sitting on over 40 death claim files for an unusually long time. When Kalyani questioned him and warned that she would escalate the matter to senior officials, Ram allegedly decided to eliminate her and destroy the pending files.

Though the fire was initially treated as accidental, doubts arose when the victim’s son approached the police. In his complaint, he stated that his mother had called him just minutes before the fire. She sounded distressed and asked him to immediately inform the police.

Police also found several unusual details at the scene. The cabin in which the officer was working, which normally remains open during office hours, was found locked from the outside with a chain. The accused, Ram, also suffered minor burn injuries. He initially claimed that his injuries were accidental.

During questioning, police found inconsistencies in Ram’s statements. According to the police, he gave contradictory answers, which led investigators to conduct a deeper probe. Evidence collected during the investigation pointed towards a deliberate act rather than an accident.

Police officials said that Kalyani Nambi’s warning about taking action against Ram appears to be the main motive behind the crime.

LIC authorities have not yet issued an official statement on the incident.