Woman’s suicide bid: Man, 25, held for sexual assault

The woman had attempted suicide by consuming acid at her home in southwest Delhi’s Rangpuri area on June 18. The case came to light when the woman, battling severe injuries, was admitted to Safdarjung Hospital, where she remains critical.

A 25-year-old man was arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting on the pretext of marriage and blackmailing a 19-year-old woman, who attempted suicide by consuming acid at her home in southwest Delhi’s Rangpuri area on June 18, Delhi Police confirmed on Wednesday.

The case came to light when the victim’s mother filed a complaint at Vasant Kunj police station on June 25. (FILE)

The case came to light when the woman, battling severe injuries, was admitted to Safdarjung Hospital, where she remains critical.

According to police, the accused had been in a relationship with the woman for seven years – when she was a minor – and had allegedly promised to marry her. However, when she confronted him about his refusal to follow through, he threatened to leak her private photos and videos, pushing her into “depression”.

The woman consumed acid at her home on June 18 and has been undergoing treatment at Safdarjung Hospital since then, where doctors describe her condition as critical.

The case came to light when the victim’s mother filed a complaint at Vasant Kunj police station on June 25.

In her first information report, the mother stated that neighbours alerted her after finding her daughter in severe pain next to a bottle of acid. The victim was first taken to a nearby hospital before being referred to Safdarjung Hospital, where doctors reportedly gave her only a 10% chance of survival, the woman’s mother said in the FIR, a copy of which was seen by HT.

All of this happened because of (accused)… he had promised to marry my daughter… They have been in a relationship for seven years… We want justice. He also blackmailed my daughter and would threaten to leak her private videos,” the FIR said.

The FIR further alleges that the accused, who worked as an airport loader but is currently unemployed, forced the woman to undergo two abortions during their relationship. Police recovered voice recordings from the victim’s phone that allegedly corroborate the blackmail claims.

Deputy commissioner of police (southwest) Amit Goel confirmed that authorities were first notified about the acid consumption case on June 18. “An MLC information was received from regarding a suicide attempt by a 19-year-old woman who had consumed acid. The investigating officer reached the hospital, collected the MLC and found the woman was unfit for statement. Our enquiry revealed that the victim was in a relationship with a man which led to her being depressed,” Goel said.

After analysing her phone and gathering evidence, police arrested the 25-year-old from his Rangpur Pahari residence on June 25, the same day the FIR was registered.

The case has been filed under Section 69 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (pertaining to sexual intercourse by deceitful means) and Section 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act, as the relationship reportedly began when the victim was a minor.

At the hospital, the victim’s mother told HT that the accused had been harassing her daughter for years. “We trusted him… I had met him before and he assured me that he would marry her, but instead used private photos to blackmail her. When she confronted him, he threatened to kill us,” she said.