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‘I was working when cops called’: Delhi man falsely accused of acid attack recounts ordeal
On Tuesday, the Delhi Police revealed that their investigation had found the student’s father had planned the attack to falsely accuse the man and his family.
The man who was initially named as the main accused in the alleged acid attack on a 20-year-old Delhi University student has claimed he was wrongly framed in what was revealed to be a staged incident by the victim’s own family.
“I was falsely implicated. The entire incident was a conspiracy to trap me,” the man told PTI news agency. The alleged attack took place on Sunday in northwest Delhi’s Ashok Vihar area.
The man said he was nowhere near the spot during the incident.
“I was working in Karol Bagh that day. Around 7.30 pm, the police called to inform me about the case,” he said.
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How was the false accusation revealed?
On Tuesday, the Delhi Police revealed that their investigation had found the student’s father, identified as Aqeel Khan, along with her uncle and brother, had planned the attack to falsely accuse the man and his family.
Police said the man poured a chemical on his daughter’s hand and bag near Ashok Vihar and fled on a motorcycle to mislead investigators.
Khan was later arrested in a separate rape case filed by the man's wife.
The man said his wife had earlier accused Khan of harassment and blackmail. “My wife complained that he was repeatedly calling her and sending her videos. I never saw them myself,” he said.
He also recalled a past confrontation between their families. “On September 29, 2021, there was a fight between my wife and his family. I stepped in to help her, but things escalated. The police made us compromise later because we didn’t want any more trouble,” he said, adding that the threats continued afterward.
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Delhi Police have since cleared him of all suspicion. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Northwest) Bhisham Singh said CCTV footage and location data confirmed that he was at his workplace in Karol Bagh at the time of the incident.
“The police verified everything, including witness statements from my workplace, and gave me a clean chit. I have full faith in the Delhi Police and believe justice will be done,” he man said.
Police said the investigation into the alleged conspiracy and misuse of acid attack charges is ongoing.
