The Delhi Police has booked a 70-year-old man in an acid attack case, after the elderly man allegedly threw a flammable substance on a group of women and children near his residence in Northwest Delhi’s Bharat Nagar area.
The elderly man — identified as Vinod Kumar — allegedly attacked three children and two women after he objected to the children playing near his house. All the victims sustained minor burn injuries. They were taken to a nearby Government hospital from where they were discharged after treatment. Based on the complaint filed by one of the women, police nabbed the elderly man within a few hours of the incident.
The incident took place on Sunday afternoon when police received a PCR call that an elderly man threw an acid on a group of children and women near his house in the Shakti Nagar Extension.
“On Sunday afternoon we received a call that an elderly man threw acid at some children. A team was immediately sent to the area to find out about the incident. The team reported that he had thrown some burning substance at three children and two women,” said a senior police officer.
On the day of the incident, Kumar was basking in the sun around 2 pm. “In the meantime, three children — Aniket, Suresh and Adarsh were playing near his house. Kumar, according to residents in the area, had always objected to people creating a ruckus in the area. On earlier occasions too, Kumar had objected to people drinking and shouting near his house. On Sunday, the children had lit fire near his house,” said officials.
Police said he asked the children to go to some other place, however, they didn’t listen to him and went on with their games.
Enraged over this, Kumar took a plastic bottle, and opened the cap, and threw out the contents onto the children. Aniket’s mother, Babita and another woman who were sitting next to the house saw this and rushed to their children’s rescue, but the substance spilled over to the women as well.
They had received minor burn injuries and were immediately taken to the local hospital. All the victims were later discharged, and the accused was apprehended and a case was registered.
The senior police officer said, “We have booked him under acid attack; however, we are yet to figure out the chemical substance which was used. The man is claiming that it is phenyl. We are investigating the case.”