Two men, including a man accused of stalking a 22-year-old woman, were arrested after she was allegedly attacked with acid for rejecting his marriage proposal in Chhattisgarh’s Balod district, police said on Tuesday.
Hearing her screams, nearby residents rushed to her aid and informed her father, who is a policeman. She was initially taken to the district hospital in Balod and later shifted to DKS Hospital in Raipur. He also suspected that she was speaking to another man and allegedly planned the attack with Kunjam. A police team led by Sub Divisional Officer of Police (SDOP) Vinay Sahu collected evidence from the spot and examined CCTV footage from different locations in Balod. Based on technical evidence, police zeroed in on Sonkar, a resident of Kunderupara in Balod town.
Balod Superintendent of Police (SP) Kiran Chavan said the two suspects, identified as Yash Kumar Sonkar (20), the alleged stalker of the woman, and his friend Karan Kunjam (20), were apprehended on Monday evening.
Her condition is said to be stable, police said. Sonkar wanted to marry the woman despite her rejection, according to police officers. The accused allegedly procured the acid from neighbouring Durg district about a week before the attack and had been planning to target the woman, police said. Police said Sonkar initially attempted to mislead investigators by giving different accounts but later admitted to stalking the woman and becoming angry after she refused his marriage proposal. Sonkar told police that he and Kunjam, his school-time friend, had planned the attack around three months ago, according to investigators.
