NEW DELHI: A 30-year-old man was hospitalised after he drank from a sealed bottle that he had bought from a shop near his house in east Delhi, police said, adding that the shopkeeper had sold him acid instead of water.
A case has been registered under Sections 284 (Negligent conduct with respect to poisonous substance) and 326 A (Voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means) of the Indian Penal Code at Mandawali Police Station. The accused, Naveen Gupta, 55, has been arrested.
“He was selling acid without licence,” a police officer said. The victim, identified as Vinay, is a resident of the Mandawali area.
“He was discharged after treatment. The acid mustn’t have been concentrated, so there was no immediate effect on the man,” the officer said, adding that he was out of danger.
According to the FIR lodged by his friend Sahbaz, the incident occurred on Monday about 9.30 pm. “The bottle cost us Rs 20. We both took some sips and went to our room. Vinay drank more from the bottle after we went back, and felt a burning sensation in his stomach,” Shahbaz told police.
Vinay was taken to Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital, where doctors said that there was ingestion of an unknown substance.