Elderly couple in Bihar’s Samastipur face acid attack; son is also a suspect

A retired school teacher and his wife, both in their seventies, were attacked with acid by a group of people which allegedly included their youngest son’s father-in-law

PATNA: An elderly couple in Bihar’s Samastipur district sustained burns in an acid attack when they were sitting outside their house late on Sunday.

Police said the youngest of the couple’s three sons, Santosh Thakur and his father-in-law, Subodh Thakur, are missing (FILE PHOTO)

The youngest of the couple’s three sons, Santosh Thakur and his father-in-law, Subodh Thakur, are missing.

“Police teams have been sent to trace them,” said Bikram Acharya, station house officer of Samastipur’s Town police station. He said the couple, who are being treated at the Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH), were yet to record their formal statement in the case.

Police identified the couple as Tipu Sultan Thakur (75), a retired school teacher and his wife, Gayti Devi (70), residents of Rahua village under Warisnagar police station.

Police said that the incident took place on Sunday evening when the couple was sitting outside their house around a bonfire. According to witnesses, about five to seven persons allegedly led by Subodh Thakur threw acid at them and ran away. Neighbours who heard their cries rushed the couple to the Warisnagar primary health centre which sent them to the Sadar Hospital due to the nature of the injuries. Eventually, they were referred to PMCH.

Police said the family had been upset with the ways of Santosh Thakur, the youngest son who had been insisting on his share in the family’s assets and his father’s pension.

Police said they were yet to receive a medicolegal report from the hospital that would indicate the precise nature of the injuries and they recorded the couple’s statement.