Delhi Dwarka acid attack victim, accused were friends; he bought substance on Flipkart: Police

New Delhi: Delhi Police on Wednesday (December 14, 2022) said that the boy who attacked a schoolgirl with acid in Dwarka knew her and that he bought the substance on Flipkart. In a statement, Special Commissioner of Police, Law and Order, Sagar Preet Hooda said that three people -- prime accused Sachin Arora (20) and his two friends Harshit Aggarwal (19) and Virender Singh (22) -- have been arrested. The incident took place around 7:30 AM in Rama Park, which comes under the Mohan Garden Police Station, when Arora and Aggarwal came on a bike and the former threw acid at the 17-year-old girl.

"On interrogation, it was revealed that accused Sachin was known to the victim and they were on friendly terms till September 2022. They had a fallout after September which led the accused to indulge in this crime," Hooda said.

"In the morning before the incident, Virender took the scooty and mobile of Sachin with him to another location so as to create an alibi and mislead the investigation," he added.

"During interrogation, on the basis of technical evidence, it has been found that the accused procured acid from Flipkart," Hooda said and added that the payment was made by Arora through an e-wallet.

आज सुबह नाबालिग छात्रा पर हुए तेजाब हमले के मामले में पुलिस ने 12 घंटे के अंदर सभी तीनों आरोपियों को गिरफ्तार कर लिया। आरोपियों से पूछताछ में घटना से संबंधित कई अहम तथ्य सामने आए हैं। पुलिस मामले की जांच कर रही है।
स्पेशल सीपी (कानून-व्यवस्था, जोन-2) @SagarHoodaIPS की बाइट  https://t.co/03e6xuaBA3 pic.twitter.com/FSHY8CQYng — Delhi Police (@DelhiPolice) December 14, 2022

It is notable that the Supreme Court had in 2013 banned the over-the-counter sale of acid at retail outlets following an increase in the number of acid attacks.

Dwarka acid attack: DCW chief issues notice to Flipkart, Amazon

Meanwhile, DCW chief Swati Maliwal has issued a notice to Flipkart and Amazon for selling acid on their platforms

"The acid that was thrown at the 17-year-old girl was bought from Flipkart. Acid is also being sold on Amazon. Think how easy it is for anyone to buy acid… I am issuing notice to Flipkart and Amazon, she said in a tweet and attached the notices.

17 साल की लड़की पर जो एसिड फेंका गया वो Flipkart से मंगाया था। Amazon पे भी ऐसिड बिक रहा है। सोचिए कितना आसान है किसी के लिए भी तेज़ाब ख़रीदना…बटन दबाओ, घर बैठे तेज़ाब की Home Delivery पाओ! मैं Flipkart और Amazon को नोटिस जारी कर रही हूँ, उनकी जवाबदेही तय होनी चाहिए! pic.twitter.com/aE15c2zbAO — Swati Maliwal (@SwatiJaiHind) December 15, 2022

 

Calling the easy availability of acid online a matter of grave concern, the DCW sought a detailed action taken report from the two firms by December 20.

Delhi acid attack victim battling facial and eye burns

The schoolgirl, police said, has suffered eight per cent facial burns and her eyes have also been affected. She is currently admitted to the Safdarjung Hospital's burn ICU ward and is stable.

ALSO READ | Boy who threw acid at schoolgirl in Delhi's Dwarka needs to be 'publicly executed': Gautam Gambhir

Police said prima facie, it appears that nitric acid was used in the attack. Samples have been sent for forensic examination, they said.

The incident was caught on a CCTV camera and the class 12 student could be seen shaking vigorously after the attack.

दिल्ली में लड़की पर तेज़ाब से हमला, घटना का CCTV वीडियो आया सामने | #BREAKING #AcidAttack #Delhi @Rajurajjee2 pic.twitter.com/qjw5hyr4z8 — Zee News (@ZeeNews) December 14, 2022

(With agency inputs)