BANGALORE, Jun 19 (Times of India): A 21-year old air hostess allegedly set herself ablaze on Thursday night in a house she shared with a colleague, in Hunasamaranahalli in Yelahanka police limits.

Asha Mohammed Ali poured kerosene and lit herself when she was alone. Preliminary investigations led police to believe that she took the step after breaking up with her lover.

Hailing from Thrissur, Kerala, she worked with Air India-SATS for the past year.

Her colleague, Sowmya, with whom she shared the house, tried to contact Asha several times that evening, but there was no response. When Sowmya returned home around 10pm, she found the door locked. She summoned her landlord, who opened the apartment with a spare key. They found Asha lying dead.

Yelahanka police, who got a call from her colleague Sowmya, rushed to the spot and registered a case based on her complaint. Police suspect that she was dejected after her lover spurned her. "This could be the reason why she took the extreme step. She did not leave a suicide note, so we cannot confirm it," police said.

Investigations revealed that Asha had fallen in love with a person identified only as Manu, about who she spoke often to Sowmya. Their parents opposed their relationship as they belonged to different communities. Police said Asha fell into a depression, and may have decided to end her life. "We did not find any suicide note in the house. But we questioned her relatives and friends, who admitted that she was in love with a certain man. Both sets of parents opposed the marriage, so we suspect this could be the main reason," an officer said.