NEW DELHI: A 16-year-old boy has been apprehended for allegedly throwing an acid-like substance on a juvenile girl, police said on Sunday.
According to police, on January 24, the minor girl reported that around 1 pm, when she was out of her house to pick up her 10-year-old cousin from school, the accused threw the chemical at her.
“At Shastri Park Extension, she was attacked by a boy who threw a chemical on her that caused itching and irritation in her eyes, neck, and nose. The victim was taken to government hospital Burari, where she was discharged after treatment,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (north) Manoj Kumar Meena said.
Based on her complaint, the police registered an FIR under sections 326 (b) (punishment for attempted acid attacks) and 341 (punishment for wrongful restraint) of the Indian Penal Code.
The victim had no history of personal animosity or spurned teenage advance of love or liking. The social media history of the victim threw five suspects who had been in touch with her. All the suspects were examined but to no avail.
“The CCTV footage of a boy running away from the crime scene, about ten minutes apart and a km away was found,” DCP Meena said.
The senior police officer said two schools of the area were watched. On January 28, the team spotted a suspect a suspect with a fitting description. and matched height,” the DCP said.
The cops tailed the boy, and saw that the alleged person took the route close to the scene of the crime.
“The juvenile was apprehended and confessed to the crime and the evidence was recovered,” the DCP said.
According to the police, the accused boy revealed that he had a general dislike towards girls and chose the victim at random. Further investigation is underway, the official added.
Past incidents
In December, a 17-year-old girl suffered burn injuries from an acid attack by her neighbour in central Delhi’s Anand Parbat. The 54-year-old accused, Prem Singh, also consumed some acid himself, a senior officer said. In September last year, a woman in New Usmanpur was attacked with acid allegedly by her in-laws. The victim’s 49-year-old mother-in-law was arrested.