Vinod Kumar Dahiya (43), uncle of acid attack victim Preeti Rathi, claims to have seen accused Ankur Panwar twice — once inside the train and later running at the Bandra Terminus railway station after throwing acid on Rathi (24). The woman was in Mumbai to join INHS Asvini as a nurse.
In his statement, which is a part of the 1,322-page chargesheet filed by the Mumbai Police’s Crime Branch Wednesday, Dahiya states he allegedly ran into Panwar, a 23-year-old hotel employee, on the Garib Rath train on May 2, 2013, at 4.30 am while Dahiya was on his way to the toilet. “As the toilet in our bogie was occupied, I walked into another bogie and used the toilet. I saw a young man wearing a yellow cap, holding a red plastic can in his hand, standing at the door. I asked him why was he standing there and suggested he should go and sit inside,” Dahiya said in his statement.
Panwar, according to Dahiya, had replied he was bored sitting inside and decided to spend some time at the door.
According to Rohit Singh, a co-passenger, Panwar was seen standing at the same spot as mentioned by Dahiya, but, with his face covered.
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“The man claimed he was allergic and had covered his face,” Singh’s statement read. Singh claims that the description matched the masked man he had spoken to inside the train.
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