India, Aug. 6 -- A 19-year-old college student in Odisha's Kendrapara set herself on fire after the police didn't act on her complaints of blackmail by a male friend, people familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.

The woman poured kerosene on herself at home and set herself ablaze when her parents were away on Wednesday morning. Police said the woman had been in a relationship with a man in the past who had been blackmailing her using her private photos and videos.

Her father alleged that she had filed a formal police complaint against the man with the local police station six months ago, but the Pattamundai rural police station hadn't acted on her complaint. Instead, he said, one police officer told his daughter to block the man's ...