Acid was hurled at a 20-year-old man after he refused to pay Rs 100 to his neighbour in Gautam Vihar area of North East Delhi’s New Usmanpur area on Monday night, police said on Wednesday.
“The incident happened around 8:30pm when Nishan — who runs small electronic shop — was returning home and reached near milk shop when Aasif, his 23-year-old neighbour stopped him and asked him Rs 100 note. When Nishan refused to give me the note, Aasif, allegedly in an inebriated condition, started verbally abusing him. This escalated into a scuffle. Aasif, who was carrying a bottle of acid, hit Nishan with it on his head,” said a senior police officer.
In the incident, along with Nishan, a couple identified as Aalam (48) and his wife Saira (40), who were passing by the duo, too sustained burn injuries, the officer said.
In the attack, Nishan sustained burns on his head and eyes. Police said Aasif picked up the broken bottle and fled from the spot. Nishan later went home, splashed water on his face and made the PCR call.
He, along with Aalam and Saira were rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment. Following the incident, Aasif was arrested the same night.
According to the police, Based on Nishan’s statement, they registered a case under Sections 326 (B) (punishment for attempted acid throwing) and 341 (wrongful confinement) of the IP at the New Usmanpur police station.
However, DCP (northeast) AK Singla said the bottle contained a chemical. He said, “We have sent the bottle to the Forensic Science laboratory. Further investigation is on.”
The officer said Nishan and Aasif knew each other and live in the same locality.