An 18-year-old son of a shopkeeper was forcibly fed an “acid-like” substance by a group of youths, a day after one of the accused was informed that paneer was unavailable at the shop in South-East Delhi’s Sangam Vihar. Police has detained two suspects and are interrogating them.
The victim identified as Yogesh is currently battling for life complaining of immense pain and swollen face. “He is admitted at AIIMS Trauma Centre,” his father Balbir said.
On the incident, Balbir said that the accused Golu and his two accomplices held his son at gunpoint and then forcibly made him consume a liquid which they had brought in a plastic bottle.
“Yogesh was wrapping up work and was about to close the shop when Golu who is our neighbour came there with two of his friends and started thrashing Yogesh. They then held him at gunpoint and opened the bottle transferring the liquid into his mouth as he cried for help,” said Balbir.
However, the statement provided by Yogesh’s sister Garima, on the basis of which the FIR was registered, does not mention the use of guns. Garima purportedly told the police that she heard screams from her house which is next to the shop and saw her brother struggling to free himself from the clutches of the three men who had pinned him down.
She claimed that Golu and his friends left the spot and the vapours of the corrosive liquid filled the air with dense smoke long after they had gone. The bottle was recovered when the police reached there.
Balbir added that a day before the incident, Golu had visited their shop and had come to buy cottage cheese there which was out of stock. When conveyed that they were out of the edible item, Golu refused to believe them and started arguing, he added.
“He even insisted that he would enter the shop and check for himself. We resisted but he did enter and after a lot of effort we managed to drive him out of the shop. Before leaving, he had threatened that he would return to take revenge from us which he did,” said Balbir.
Yogesh was rushed to the AIIMS trauma centre where doctors said that his condition is quite serious.
Deputy Commissioner of Police, South-East district, Romil Baaniya, said a case under Section 326A (Voluntarily causing grievous hurt by use of acid) and Section 34 (Acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the Indian Penal Code and investigation is on.