Acid Attack on Delhi Doctor: Rejected Suitor Committed the Crime, say Police

A rejected marriage proposal is said to be the reason behind the recent acid attack on a Delhi lady doctor. Police claim to have arrested a 32-year-old man for hiring two juveniles to commit the act.

While the juveniles were sent to a correctional home, another alleged co-conspirator was held on Thursday, reports The Indian Express.

The woman, who was going to work on her scooter, was followed by the two young suspects on a motorcycle. They then threw acid on her before fleeing from the spot. The 30-year-old victim suffered a damaged right eye and burns on her face as a result of the attack.

The main accused, Ashok Yadav, also a doctor, wanted to marry the woman, according to the police. However, his offer was rejected and that was what incited Yadav to plan the attack, said the police.

The accused, who is working as a senior resident at ESIC hospital, Basai Dara Pur, studied medicine in Russia and was the woman's classmate then.

Yadav, furious at the rejection, asked his friend Vaibhav to help him hire the two youngsters to carry out the acid-attack plan, Pushpendra Kumar, Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) Delhi, said.

Vaibhav gave the details of the woman to the juveniles, who were paid Rs 25,000 for the job. They were also given her photograph and schedule for the day.

The youths stole the motorcycle which was used in the crime four days prior to the attack, say police sources. They also bought a few syringes and a bottle of sulphuric from a shop in Hari Nagar, also the locality from where the motorcycle was stolen.

The two also did a dry run two days before the incident.

"The juveniles confessed that they had a dry run two days before they actually executed the attack. They filled syringes with water and enacted the attack. While one juvenile acted as the victim, the other came on a bike and threw water on him," said a police officer.

On the day of the incident, the juveniles came from behind and tried to snatch the victim's bag to make it look like a robbery attempt. While the rider snatched her bag, the pillion rider flung the acid on her face. The entire turn of events took place at around 9.20 am in the main market of Rajouri Garden, when the woman was on her scooter.

CCTV cameras installed in the market area captured the footage of the incident.

"We listed all the friends and colleagues of the victim and started questioning them. We strongly suspected it to be a case of personal enmity, hence the robbery angle was ruled out. During questioning, it was found that Yadav used to stalk the victim as he wanted to marry her," said a police officer.

"We detained him and questioned him thoroughly. Initially, Yadav tried to mislead the police but later broke down and confessed to the crime," he added.