Teen attacks minor girl with chemical near Delhi’s Burari, held

Delhi police apprehend 16-year-old boy for throwing acid-like chemical on a 15-year-old girl outside a school in north Delhi; motive still unknown.

The Delhi Police on Sunday said it apprehended a 16-year-old boy for allegedly throwing an acid-like chemical on a 15-year-old girl outside a school at Shastri Park Extension near Burari in north Delhi on Wednesday.

A case of voluntarily throwing or attempting to throw acid and wrongful restraint was registered under sections 326(b) and 341 of the Indian Penal Code in Burari incident, Delhi Police said. (Representational image)

Deputy commissioner of police (north) Manoj Kumar Meena said that around 1pm on Wednesday, the girl had gone to pick up her cousin from the school when the suspect, who had covered his face with a handkerchief, threw the chemical on her and fled. The chemical caused itching and irritation in her eyes, neck and nose, the officer said. “She was rushed to a nearby government hospital from where she was discharged after treatment. Accordingly, a complaint was filed at the Burari police station,” Meena added.

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According to the police, the boy chose the girl randomly as his victim and threw the substance without reason. “The teenager said that he had a general dislike towards girls and committed the crime out of his abhorrence,” police said. The boy mixed caustic powder with water and carried it in a bottle, which was seized after he was apprehended.

The DCP added that it was a blind case as the victim and the suspect did not even know each other and the crime scene was not covered by CCTV cameras.

Considering that the suspect was a school student, personnel in plain clothes were deployed outside every boys’ schools in the Burari area. On Saturday, one of the teams spotted the suspect with the same backpack and a similar physical description. He was apprehended and confessed to the crime, police added.