Mumbai, May 3, 2013 – An incident that shocked many in the city today, an unidentified man attacked 25-year-old aspiring armed forces candidate from Delhi, R Preeti, with acid just as she was alighting from the Garib Rath train at Bandra Terminus.
The incident, which occurred close to 8 am on Thursday morning has left Preeti with severe burns on her face and has completely damaged the vision in her right eye. Five others, who were injured in the attack are also being treated in the city. The man, who had covered his face with a handkerchief, is absconding.
Preeti, who arrived from Delhi on Thursday morning had reached Mumbai to fulfil her dreams of becoming an able dutiful officer in the armed forces. Preeti was scheduled to join her duty as a Lieutenant in the Army from May 15. However, her dreams came crashing down as she took her first step into the city.
At the moment when Preeti, accompanied by her father and another woman relative (the cops say the woman is her maternal aunt), was alighting from the train at the station, an unidentified man splashed acid on Preeti’s face. Her aunt, her father as well as three other passengers who had queued up in the gangway of the train to alight from the train, were also injured in the indecent. Onlookers have told the police that the man, who was lean and tall had covered his face with a handkerchief and had “appeared from nowhere” as the train came to a halt at the platform.
An officer from the Bandra Railway police says, “The incident occurred when the train, Garib Rath, reached Mumbai from Delhi. The girl and her aunt have suffered serious burn injuries on their faces due to the acid. Her father and three other people have also suffered burn injuries from splashes of acid. We are trying to trace the man who is behind this attack, but we have to wait for Preeti to be able to give us a statement about it. We feel that there could be a possible hand of a jilted lover of the girl, which is usually the reason for acid attacks. The investigation is on.”
Preeti and the other injured were rushed to Masina hospital in Byculla, where they are being treated for their burn injuries. Cops say that the absence of CCTV cameras on the platform is bad news for the investigation as there is no footage to fall back on to identify the attacker. However, they are hopeful that Preeti’s statement will shed light on the case.
