A pregnant woman, Sona (27), died after the car she was travelling in caught fire at Kakkara Mukku in Cheruvannur, Perambra, late on Monday night. Police suspect petrol was deliberately used to start the fire, ruling out fuel leakage or a short circuit as the cause.

Initial investigations by forensic and motor enforcement teams found no mechanical defects in the car's AC, radiator, wiring, or engine room. This has led police to focus on how petrol ended up inside the vehicle.

CCTV footage from the area shows a woman carrying a can near Naduvannur Road around the time of the incident. Police are trying to identify her and have begun examining petrol pump records and CCTV footage from the town.

Sona had spent the afternoon at her maternal aunt's home in Valiyakodu. Her husband, Rajin Lal, dropped her there around noon and picked her up at 7:30 PM. The couple then went shopping in Perambra with a relative. The relative told police that during the shopping trip, Sona briefly went off on her own and the relative did not know where she went.

After returning from shopping, Sona and Rajin Lal left together. However, there is no clarity on where they spent the next two hours before the fire incident at around 9:30 PM.

Rajin Lal, who suffered over 65% burns in the fire, is undergoing treatment at Kozhikode Government Medical College Hospital. His statement is expected to be crucial to the investigation.