Police have arrested a couple after domestic violence led
the wife to set fire to a neighbor’s house in retaliation against her husband
on Monday in Nyinthok Chol Agoth village, Wunrok Payam, Twic County, Warrap
State.
According to Lt. Col. Atem Deng Atem, the Police Inspector
of Wunrok Payam, the couple's intense argument turned violent when the wife,
Aluel Arol Ring, 28 years-old, retaliated by setting fire to their neighbor's
house in anger.
“What happened that night, a woman named Aluel fought her
husband. She was beaten till she was unconscious at their house. When it
reached at 12: 00 AM to 1:00 AM, she woke up and went to the neighbor's house and
set the house ablaze,” Atem said.
The fire consumed property, including two beds, mattresses,
sheets, and nine 100-kilogram sacks of sorghum stored inside the affected homes.
Arol confessed during police interrogation that her motive
for burning the neighbor’s house was to punish her husband, Garang Ngong
Chiman, 45, and force him to compensate the neighbor with all the property he
owned, as retribution for their ongoing marital issues.
She said that after years of abuse, she wanted revenge. Arol
claimed her husband beat her often, and despite asking neighbors and relatives
for help, she received none.
Malith Mayiik, the neighbor whose house was set on fire,
said he had no idea about the woman's anger toward them and now finds himself
displaced with his family due to the devastating fire.
“The neighbors were the ones who saw the flame of the
burning house. They came and woke the people at home. We didn’t know who
exactly burnt the fire. In the morning, the neighbors informed me that Aluel
Arol is the one who set my house ablaze. She is my neighbor. She fought her
husband and came to burn my house," Mayiik narrated.
The fire also destroyed a cow byre, compounding the loss.
Both Aluel and Garang have been detained as the
investigation continues. The police are working to uncover the full details of
what led to this violent act.