Maimed by acid thug
Attacker throws liquid through car window into student’s face ... then targets her cousin too
AN aspiring model and her cousin have been left with life-changing injuries after acid was hurled in their faces through the open windows of their car.
Resham Khan watched her clothes ‘burn away’ after the corrosive liquid was thrown at them as they waited at traffic lights in east London.
She was celebrating her 21st birthday with Jameel Muhktar when they were attacked by a man with a tattooed face.
Mr Muhktar was behind the wheel, with Miss Khan in the passenger seat. As temperatures reached 90F, they had the windows down when the man threw the liquid in her face before moving around to the driver’s side to douse Mr Muhktar.
Both needed skin grafts for severe burns to their faces and bodies.
Mr Muhktar’s injuries were so severe that doctors had to put the 37-year-old into an induced coma.
Writing on Twitter, Miss Khan – who had just returned from a foreign exchange programme – said: ‘On my birthday, my cousin and I went for a drive, blasting music and chilling like cousins do.
‘Whilst at the lights, a man threw acid through my window and then went round to his and threw more.
‘The pain was excruciating, I was struggling to close the window. My cousin struggled to get us away.
‘I saw my clothes burn away. He put his foot down as we were coming to a dual carriageway but the pain took over and we crashed.
‘We stripped off in the middle of the road, running around screaming and begging for water. We did this for 45 minutes.’
Eventually, a passer-by stopped and took them to hospital, where both are still being treated in a specialist burns unit.
Miss Khan’s left eye has been damaged, while Mr Muhktar has burns across his body arms, legs, back, neck and the right side of his face including his right eye. The student had planned to model for Asian bridal, make-up and hair artists. But yesterday she admitted she did not know whether her modelling dream had ended.
She added: ‘I’m devastated. I keep wondering if my life will ever be the same.
‘Acid attacks in the UK are unheard of for me.
‘My 21st birthday. Just got back to the country. And now I’ll probably never look the same.
‘I feel as though I’m blessed to have my limbs and senses. But I loved my face and body. I just want this guy caught. I have gave my statement and the officer is certain he will be found and sent away for a long time. But what about my face? That is forever.’
Miss Khan, a business management student at Manchester Metropolitan University, had only recently returned from an exchange year in Cyprus.
She had travelled down to London and planned to visit a spa and go out for a meal before the horrific attack on the A13 in Beckton at 9am on Wednesday. Her university friend Daniel Mann has created a GoFundMe page to raise £8,000 towards treatment for her and Mr Muhktar.
He said: ‘This attack has caused them both to put their lives on hold. Resham is usually a very confident young woman.
‘She was preparing to open her own business over the summer, and had plans to model. But now she feels as though her identity has been stolen from her.’
A Met Police spokesman described the pair’s injuries as ‘ life- changing’, adding: ‘ It is believed the victims were inside a car when a man threw a corrosive substance through the window.
‘The car made off pursued by the suspect on foot before it collided with a fence. The suspect made off. Enquiries continue.’
The number of acid attacks in Britain has soared to two a day. But charities warn that many more attacks go unreported.
Acid is thought to have become popular with criminals because it is fairly easy to buy and police struggle to identify attackers.