Spurned lover throws acid on girl in Ludhiana, held
LUDHIANA:A teenager working as a carpenter allegedly threw acid on a 15-year-old girl at Barewal Awana locality of Ludhiana after she rejected his marriage proposal.
Police have arrested the accused, Manoj Kumar (19), who lives in the same locality. The police said Manoj barged into the victim’s house after scaling a boundary wall on the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday and threw acid on her face when she was asleep. The girl’s mother, who was also sleeping there, also suffered minor burn injuries on her arm and stomach. The two have been admitted to a local hospital.
The girl has suffered 40 per cent burn injuries on her face, neck and the right arm, the police said. She is stated to be out of danger. The boy hails from Uttar Pradesh’s Hardoi district. The victim’s father works as a sweeper and the family belongs to Unnao in UP.
In her complaint, the victim’s mother said, “I got my elder daughter married to Manoj’s brother last year in April and he has been stalking my younger daughter since then. He has visited our house many times and would force my daughter for mar- riage. He also used to harass her on her way to school.”
She said the victim studies in Class 5 as she was admitted to school late.
“He had threatened her that he will throw acid on her face if she refused to marry him. Since he is a relative, we talked to his parents rather than approaching the police. We never thought that he will take this extreme step,” she said.
A case under Sections 452 (house trespass after preparation for hurt, assault or wrongful restraint), 326-A (voluntarily causing grievous hurt by use of acid) of the Indian Penal Code and Sections 9 and 12 of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO Act) was registered against the accused at the PAU police station.
Station house officer (SHO) Brij Mohan said the boy confessed to have brought acid from a construction site where he was working.
At least four cases of acid attack were reported in the city last year.