A 45-year-old man was arrested on Sunday for allegedly throwing acid on his wife suspecting her of infidelity. The incident took place in Malapada village. The woman, identified as Bharati Mahalik (40), sustained critical burn injuries on her face and back, police said. The victim was rescued by the neighbours and admitted to a local hospital. Later, she was shifted to the district headquarters hospital in Jajpur.
The arrested husband Bhagirathi Mahalik was forwarded to the local court on Sunday and later remanded to judicial custody after his bail plea was rejected. According to the complaint lodged by the daughter of the victim, her father, Bhagirathi, had been suspecting her mother’s integrity.
Bhagirathi allegedly tortured his wife physically and mentally at the slightest provocation, the FIR maintained. “The incident occurred on Saturday evening when my father picked up a fight with my mother, got enraged, abused her without any provocation. In a fit of anger, he brought acid bottle which was hidden by him in the house, and hurled it on mother’s face”, the complaint said in the FIR.
She sustained critical burn injuries on her face and back following the acid attack, she said. The neighbours came to her rescue after hearing the scream of the survivor. By then, the accused had fled the scene. Police arrested the accused from a neighbouring village after raiding it in the wee hours on Sunday.
“The couple has four children including two daughters. But, Bhagirathi used to suspect about his wife’s character” said Manoranjan Das, officer- in-charge of Jajpur Sadar police station. The condition of the victim, who is undergoing treatment at the district head quarters hospital is stable, he informed.