Fallout over friendship turns deadly: The motive behind the acid attack on 17-year-old in Delhi, revealed

The national capital of Delhi was left reeling after news reports emerged on Wednesday that a 17-year-old girl was attacked by two bike-borne assailants, who threw acid on her near the Dwarka Metro station.

The Class 12 girl was then rushed to Safdarjung Hospital where doctors stated that she was out of danger, but had sustained seven-eight per cent burnt injuries to her eyes and face.

The incident took place when the teen was on her way to school with her younger sister. Minutes after they left their home, the teen was attacked with acid, following which the sister rushed back home to inform her parents, while some shopkeepers helped the teen wash off the acid with milk.

The girl’s father was quoted as telling news agency ANI later that the girl had left home at 7.30 am. “As soon as she crossed the street, she was attacked. The incident happened within six to seven minutes of her leaving the house. My youngest daughter had gone along with her and then came running to us.”

Twelve hours into the attack, the authorities have arrested three boys for the attack.

As investigations continue into the case, here’s what we know about the accused, where they bought the acid from and more.

Motive behind the attack

Initially after the attack, the Delhi Police detained one person based on the suspicion of the girl on two persons she knew and within hours, they had nabbed two others for their alleged involvement in the case.

The accused in the case have been identified as 20-year-old Sachin Arora, the main mastermind behind the attack, and his friends his friends Virendra Singh, 22, and Harshit Agarwal, 19.

Special Commissioner of Police, Delhi Police, Sagar Preet Hudda later told the media that their probe showed that while Harshit was riding the motorcycle, Sachin threw acid on the girl in Dwarka. The police revealed that the motive behind the incident was revenge.

According to them, Sachin knew the schoolgirl, but the two of them had a fallout in September after which the 20-year-old meticulously planned the acid attack.

Special Commissioner of Police Hudda further revealed that Virendra, who was not present during the attack, had taken Sachin’s mobile phone to another spot so that Sachin’s location couldn’t be traced near the incident.

Getting their hands on acid

Officials believe that the accused threw nitric acid on the victim. However, the type of acid used in the crime will be confirmed after a forensic examination, police said.

The police investigating the crime have revealed that during the interrogation of the three and the technical evidence, the trio procured acid from Flipkart.

In India, over-the-counter sale of acid is banned since 2013, but nearly 10 years later, it has been found that these products are still easily available and a litre cost less than Rs 50 in Delhi.

Also read: Why acid attacks continue to occur in India

The Supreme Court had laid down that establishments selling acid would need a licence to do so, and have to be registered under the The Poisons Act 1919. In addition, shops need to maintain a register of their stock and individual sales of the acid. The buyer must provide ID proof and disclose the reason for buying acid.

However, online sales are harder to track. DCP (Dwarka) M Harsha Vardhan told The Hindu a notice had been sent to the e-commerce website to seek information about the seller of the acid. An officer privy to the investigation said, “Online outlets have to keep a check on retailers who sell them. We will get information on how the accused got the acid without any verification.”

A police official said the sale of acid continues despite their actions as some retail outlets sell it in small bottles for Rs 100-200, making it easily accessible to the accused. Also it has been found that accused who buy acid from shops use the pretext of using it to clean their tiles or other sanitary purposes.

Officials react

The incident has sparked strong reactions from all corners, with Delhi Commission of Women chief Swati Maliwal issuing a notice to the cops seeking a response from them by Friday.

We have issued notice to Delhi Police to arrest the attackers & to give strict punishment to them. We're helping the victim & her family. But the biggest question here is why retail sale of acid isn't banned, even after several notices: Chairperson, Delhi Commission for Women pic.twitter.com/vEFuww4NQZ

— ANI (@ANI) December 14, 2022

Lieutenant-Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena too questioned the sale despite the ban, and asked Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal “how could the accused have gathered so much courage” in the Dwarka case.

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal has demanded stringent punishment for those involved in throwing the acid and asserted that the government is concerned about every child in the city.

In a tweet, Kejriwal said: “This cannot be tolerated at all. How did the accused gather so much courage? The accused should be given the strictest punishment. The safety of every girl child in Delhi is important to us.”

With inputs from agencies

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