3 of family injured as drunken man sprays acid after brawl

The accused, Raghav, was allegedly drinking outside his home, and when the family was going to leave the house, they were approached by the accused who began harassing them

NEW DELHI: Three members of a family were attacked with a burning chemical substance by a drunken man outside the family’s house in Vishnu Garden, located at Khyala main market in West Delhi.

The victims were shifted to Safdarjung Hospital, where they were treated for minor burn injuries.

The victims were identified as Deepak (40), and his two daughters Bhoomi (11) and Isha (14). According to police, Deepak is a resident of T-13, Vishnu Garden.

He has sustained 9-10 per cent burn injuries, while his two daughters had sustained around 10-15 per cent burn injuries. The police later arrested the main accused Raghav Mukhia (26), who is currently being questioned by the police. According to a senior police official, they had received a PCR call at around 10.15 pm on Saturday that a family was attacked with what is believed to be acid after a confrontation with a drunkard.

The family was shifted to Sehgal Nursing Home and was later referred to the burn ward of Safdarjung hospital.

The police have informed that Deepak and his two daughters were on their way to a marriage. The accused, Raghav, was allegedly drinking outside his home, and when the family was going to leave the house, they were approached by the accused who began harassing them.

“He had tried to strike a conversation with Deepak. The family told us that he was heavily drunk and was harassing them,” said a police officer privy to the investigation.

Raghav allegedly offered some alcohol to Deepak, who confronted the accused and later allegedly slapped him.

Raghav left the area and later returned with a bottle filled with what is believed to be acid. In the meantime, Deepak’s daughters had also reached the spot.

In a fit of rage, Raghav tried to empty the contents of the bottle on Deepak, but during the attack some of the contents of the chemical substance spilled over onto his daughters. They felt burning sensation in their hands and legs.

“He wanted to throw the substance on Deepak, but since he was heavily drunk he could not aim properly and the girls were also attacked,” the police official added.

The police are now trying to figure out the exact sequence of events and the nature of the chemical substance used to attack the family. “We are questioning him. The exact chemical used can only be known when the report comes in, but he has told us that he used a chemical used in cleaning metals. Further investigation is underway,” the officer added.