Chhattisgarh: Ex-lover throws acid on groom at his marriage in Bastar; held

A woman allegedly threw acid on her ex-boyfriend when he was getting married to another woman on April 19. The incident occurred in a village in Chhattisgarh's Bastar district, police said on Monday.

The 22-year-old accused was arrested on Sunday after her involvement in the crime surfaced during the investigation, said Bastar Additional Superintendent of Police Nivedita Pal.

The 25-year-old groom Damrudhar Baghel was getting married to a 19-year-old woman in Chhote Amabal village under the Bhanpuri police station limits. The groom, the bride and 10 attendees sustained minor burns in the acid attack.

Police had lodged a case under section 326 A (voluntarily causing grievous hurt by use of acid, etc.) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) against an unidentified accused and launched the probe. "We scanned footage of some CCTV cameras installed in the village, activated informers and checked the background of the bride and the groom," the police officer said.

Pal said people could not see the accused as the incident happened in the late evening hours and the power supply was disrupted at that time. The investigation revealed the involvement of a woman, who was an ex-lover of the groom, following which she was taken into custody.

The accused told police that she and Damrudhar Baghel were in a relationship for the last several years. She claimed Damrudhar cheated her by marrying another woman, Pal said. "When the woman came to know about Damrudhar's marriage, she planned the attack and stole acid from a chilli farm where she works," the police officer said, adding the acid is used to clean the drip system in the farm.

The investigation revealed that the accused woman disguised herself as a man to conceal her identity while committing the crime, she said.

Earlier this month, police had arrested the ex-lover of a newly-married woman for allegedly planting a bomb inside a home theatre music system he gifted to the couple in Kabirdham district. The explosion in the equipment killed the woman's husband and his elder brother.

(With inputs from PTI)

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