A 26-year-old woman allegedly carried out an acid attack on her 21-year-old neighbour, who was set to marry a man that the accused was ‘in a relationship’ with, said police on Wednesday. The accused has now been arrested.
The acid attack, that too by a neighbour known for years, has sent chills across the national capital.
The victim is currently undergoing treatment at Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital for facial burns, and she is also reportedly struggling with her vision.
How the accused executed the attack
The families of the accused and the victim had known each other for years, according to the victim’s younger sister. She added that the 26-year-old accused was a frequent visitor to their house, HT reported earlier.
The victim was set to tie the knot with her fiancé, whom the accused was allegedly in love with, on April 19. The accused was reportedly irked by this news.
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On Tuesday morning, she visited the victim’s house around 10am, spent time with her family, and even had breakfast with them.
Around noon, she came to the house again. This time, she asked the victim to apply “henna on her hands as she had a wedding to attend,” the victim’s 18-year-old sister said.
Then, the accused pulled out a sipper from her bag and said it was an energy drink. Meanwhile, the victim was applying henna on her hands when the accused asked her to sit against the wall.
“She then pulled out another sipper from her bag, which she claimed was lemon water,” the victim’s sister added. She further said that suddenly, the accused threw the liquid on her sister’s face and upper body.
“Now, you drink this,” the sister quoted the accused as saying at the time of the incident.
The liquid seared through the victim’s skin as she screamed and rushed to wash herself while her clothes were burning, the family said.
Meanwhile, the accused, who tried to flee, was caught outside the house by the neighbours. Soon after, police arrived and took her into custody.
Accused couldn’t accept lover’s marriage
Police revealed that during interrogation, the accused allegedly said that she had been in a relationship with the victim’s fiancé for years, and that she couldn’t accept that he was going to get married.
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A senior police officer said that they have yet to question the fiancé. However, they cited phone records to confirm that he and the accused had been in contact.
Accused was in depression
A 28-year-old sister of the accused has revealed that she had been receiving treatment for depression for nearly a decade.
“She used to have bouts of anger during which she would become uncontrollable. Earlier, she wanted to pursue law, but lately, she wanted to be a teacher after completing her diploma in elementary education. Police have taken her medical records,” she added.
Police also registered a case under section 124(1) (causing grievous hurt by acid) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita at the Gokalpuri police station, following which a probe was launched into the matter.
