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Neighbour splashes acid on bride-to-be in Northeast Delhi, cops says she was in love with the man victim was marrying
Family members of the victim claimed they had no idea if the accused and the groom were in a relationship.
Police suspect the crime took place between 6.30 am and 7 am, a time deliberately chosen by the accused, likely because two other domestic workers usually arrive later in the day. (File Photo)
A family in Northeast Delhi was preparing for a wedding scheduled for the weekend when their world turned upside down. On Tuesday, their house was filled with relatives and guests. On the first floor was the bride-to-be, with one of her siblings stitching an outfit for the haldi ceremony.
In the afternoon, a neighbour arrived. The family knew her. The bride-to-be’s younger sister said, “She wanted to apply mehendi on her hands as she had to attend another wedding.” The neighbour stepped out to buy a henna cone.
When she returned, she was in a burqa and had a small backpack. She sat on the floor beside the bride-to-be. “She had two bottles in her bag, like gym shakers,” the sister said. “She mixed glucose powder in one and started drinking it.”
Everything still felt normal. “As my sister shifted slightly to make space for her, the woman asked her to sit closer to the wall,” the sister said.
The woman reached into her bag again for a bottle. “She said it was nimbu paani,” the sister said. “Suddenly, she splashed the water at my sister.”
The bride-to-be covered her face with her hands and tried to open her eyes, but could not. “All we could see was blood on her face,” her sister said. “Her eyes were shut. There was a foam-like substance around them. She kept saying she couldn’t see anything.”
She ran to the bathroom, trying to wash her face. Behind her, the family said, the room broke into chaos — someone asking for water, others trying to stop the attacker as she attempted to leave. The woman was pushed onto a charpoy, the family said. The accused allegedly also used an iron-like object and hit the victim, leaving a cut above her eye.
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Police said on Wednesday that the woman was in love with the man the victim was going to marry. “This might have been the motive behind the attack. The victim sustained burns on the face and is currently under treatment,” said DCP (Northeast) Ashish Mishra.
Police said the accused was apprehended and a case under BNS Section 124(1) (voluntarily causing grievous hurt by use of acid, causing permanent or partial damage or deformity) was registered.
Family members of the victim claimed they had no idea if the accused and the groom were in a relationship. It was an arranged marriage — finalised three months ago, they said. To them, the accused was a familiar face who frequented their house — the girls in the family called her baaji.
Until recently, the victim had been teaching children while completing her Master’s degree from IGNOU, the family said. She stopped teaching as the wedding neared.
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Across the lane lives the accused’s family, who said she had been depressed. “We don’t know why she did this… her mental condition is not good,” her sister said.
At the victim’s house, the silence was haunting. “Everything was ready for the wedding,” the sister said. “We don’t know what will happen now.”
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