Acid attack case twist: Delhi Police detain victim's father as probe finds contradictions in complaint

New Delhi [India], October 28 (ANI): Delhi Police have detained the father of a woman who alleged an acid attack near Ashok Vihar, after the investigation revealed inconsistencies in her statement and links to a separate harassment case filed by the main accused's wife, officials said on Monday.
According to a Delhi Police statement, on October 26, a 19-year-old open-school student was admitted to Deep Chand Bandhu Hospital with burn injuries on her hands.
She told police that her acquaintance, along with his two friends, had attacked her with acid while she was walking towards her college for an extra class. She alleged that her acquaintance had been stalking her and that the two had argued about a month earlier.
Following the incident, an FIR was filed at Bharat Nagar police station under Sections 124(1)/3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, and the spot was examined by the crime and forensic teams. However, during the investigation, police found several discrepancies in the woman's account.
According to officials, call detail records, CCTV footage, and witness statements placed her acquaintance in Karol Bagh at the time of the incident. The motorcycle allegedly used in the attack was also found there.
Police said that two days before the incident, the acquaintance's wife had lodged a complaint against the victim's father, accusing him of sexual harassment and blackmail during her employment in his factory between 2021 and 2024. A case in this regard was registered at the Bhalswa Dairy police station.
"Her (victim's) father, who was absconding, has now been taken into custody for questioning," the police said.
Meanwhile, the two other accused are reportedly in Agra with their mother. Police said their mother had herself been a victim of an acid attack in 2018, allegedly by relatives of the father of the acid attack victim, and has an ongoing property dispute with him. "The case is under trial," they added.
Officials said that CCTV footage from the day of the incident showed the complainant leaving her home in Mukandpur on a scooty driven by her brother, who dropped her near Ashok Vihar area before she continued in an e-rickshaw.
Police said the reason her brother did not drop her off at the college gate after driving her all the way from Mukundpur to Ashok Vihar is being examined. The brother has also become unavailable and is not joining the investigation.
"The case is being further investigated under the supervision of senior officers to verify the authenticity of the complaint and the claims of all parties involved," they added. (ANI)