Three girls injured in acid attack by stalker in Karnataka

State health minister Dinesh Gundu Rao directed authorities to ensure that the victims received all essential medical care as well as compensation from the government

Three girls, aged between 17 and 19, suffered burn injuries in an acid attack by a 23-year-old stalker at a government pre-university college in Dakshina Kannada district of Karnataka on Monday, police said.

The girls were aged between 17 and 19, police said. (Representational Image)

While the accused, who hails from Kerala, was arrested, state health minister Dinesh Gundu Rao directed authorities to ensure that the victims received all essential medical care as well as compensation from the government.

According to the police, a preliminary investigation into the attack revealed that the accused intended to target one of the victims, who suffered third degree facial burn injuries, after she spurned his advances, but the acid spilt over the two other victims next to her.

The incident took place at a government pre-university college in Kadaba near Mangaluru.

“The girls were preparing for the Pre-University Course (PUC) exams while sitting in the corridors of the college when the accused, Abin Shibi, wearing a mask and a cap to conceal his identity, arrived and threw a bottle of acid at the girl who rejected his advances. While the girl suffered third degree facial burn injuries, two others sustained minor injuries after some amounts of acid spilt on them. All the three are undergoing treatment,” a police officer at Kadaba police station said, seeking anonymity.

“The stalker was nabbed by college staff immediately after the incident and handed over to the police. He has been arrested. He wore a school uniform and gained entry into the school premises as a student to carry out the crime. We are investigating who gave him the uniform,” the officer added.

Police said Shibi belongs to Nilambur in Malappuram district of Kerala. He is pursuing an MBA course in his hometown. The main victim also hails from Kerala and had come to Karnataka for her studies, police added.

Dakshina Kannada district superintendent of police (SP) CB Rishyanth said the main victim is out of danger. “All the girls were initially taken to Kadaba government hospital but later shifted to AJ hospital in Mangaluru,” he said.

“The main target and the accused belong to the same community and used to live close to one another in Kerala,” he added.

It looks like an act of desperation due to rejection of love, Rishyanth said. “The accused had come to the place wearing a college uniform. An investigation is going on as to who gave him the uniform,” he said.

Kadaba police inspector Abhinandan said that on the basis of a complaint by a college lecturer, a case under section 326(A) of the Indian Penal Code that deals with acid attack was registered against the accused.

“If the parents of any of the girls file a complaint, we will also invoke provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act against the accused,” he said.

As the acid attack triggered a political row, Rao assured that stringent legal action would be taken against the perpetrator.

“I strongly condemn the heinous crime of acid attack on three female students on the premises of a government PU college in Kadaba taluk of Dakshina Kannada district. The district police have already arrested the accused and are conducting a comprehensive investigation. It’s saddening to hear that the three students have suffered serious burn injuries and require extensive medical treatment,” he said in a post on X.

“I have directed the authorities to ensure that the victims receive all essential medical care, as well as compensation from the government. We are investigating the matter seriously and will ensure stringent legal action against the perpetrators,” he added.

His remarks came as the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) targeted the ruling Congress over the alleged deteriorating law and order in the state.

In a post on X, BJP leader and Udupi Lok Sabha MP Shobha Karandlaje said: “The recent acid attack on female students at Kadaba Govt Junior College, carried out by an accused from Kerala, highlights a dire law & order situation. The victims’ future hangs by a thread.”

Demanding the immediate resignation of Karnataka home minister G Parameshwara for his alleged failure in controlling the rising crime rates, Karandlaje said: “Each day reveals new crimes slipping through the cracks, showing the government’s inability to address the issues. Home minister Parameshwara’s ineffective leadership is evident. I demand his immediate resignation. The safety of Karnataka’s citizens cannot be compromised”.

Deputy director of the pre-graduate education department, Jayanna, visited the college for an inspection later in the day.

(With PTI inputs)