Goregaon acid attack: Main accused, aide arrested

The crime branch on Monday arrested the two absconding accused, including the main accused, involved in last week’s acid attack on IT firm employee Aarti Thakur near the Goregaon railway station ticket counter.

The crime branch on Monday arrested the two absconding accused, including the main accused, involved in last week’s acid attack on IT firm employee Aarti Thakur near the Goregaon railway station ticket counter.

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Senior inspector Gopika Jagirdar of Unit 10 crime branch, which made the arrests, said that Feroz Ayub Memon alias Papa, 23, and his accomplice Firoz Mohammad Zuber Sheikh, 28, were arrested from their hideout near Malwani on Monday.

Memon was the person who flung acid on Aarti while Sheikh accompanied him.

During the interrogation, Memon allegedly told the police that he had been ‘hired’ by Manju Sheikh, mother of Pintoo Sheikh—whose advances had been rejected by Aarti in the past—to carry out the attack on the woman.

Memon also told the police that he had been paid Rs40,000 by Manju for the two previous attacks on the woman, which have left her disfigured.

However, this time, before the contract money was paid, Manju and Pintoo were arrested by the government railway police (GRP).

This forced Memon and Sheikh to go underground, until the crime branch busted them from their hide out. The duo has been handed over to the GRP, which is investigating the case.

In both the previous attacks, the accused managed to remain anonymous, as he would attack from behind and flee. It has now been revealed that a paper cutter had been used in the second attack on Aarti at Nalasopara while in the first attack in Malwani, he had used a shaving razor.

Last Tuesday, a man flung acid at Aarti while she was at the Goregaon railway station. The attack on the woman sent shockwaves across the city, raising questions on the safety of women.