Lucknow, July 5 (IANS) A Dalit woman committed suicide Saturday by setting herself on fire in Uttar Pradesh’s Faizabad district to evade a rape attempt by her neighbour, police said. Family members alleged that she took the extreme step to evade a rape attempt by a neighbour in Faizabad, about 150 km from here.

“The woman, in her dying statement to the magistrate, seconded the allegations made by her husband Rajaram, but died before naming the person,” Faizabad police chief R.K.S. Rathore told IANS.

The woman stated that she was alone in the house when a youth scaled the wall and tried to grab her, said Rathore.

“She rushed towards the kitchen and set herself on fire,” he added.

The police have detained a youth of the same locality for questioning, an official said.