New Delhi, October 28 (UNI) The father of the acid attack victim was sent to one-day police custody on Tuesday as the Delhi Police confirmed his role in orchestrating and executing the entire crime.
The police are also planning to arrest the 20-year-old student for concocting a false story, police sources told UNI.
The police said the attack occurred near Rani Laxmibai College, where Akeel Khan, riding on an Apache motorcycle, poured an acid-like chemical on his daughter.
Police have also recovered crucial evidence linking him directly to the crime.
Khan was arrested on Monday night by the Bhalswa Dairy Police after having been on the run and he was produced before the Tis Hazari Court on Tuesday. After hearing the prosecution’s arguments, the court remanded him to one-day police custody.
The police have also seized objectionable photos of Jitender’s wife, reportedly taken by Akeel Khan. Jitender was earlier said to be the prime accused in the acid attack case.
Sources said the police will question Akeel Khan to find out how many videos he had made of the wife of Jitender.
“It appears the entire acid attack case was staged. The three accused were not present at the scene. Now we have decided to arrest the DU student,” said a police source.
The 20-year-old victim, a second-year open school student, had claimed that on Sunday morning, Jitender and two others — Ishan and Arman — attacked her with acid near Rani Laxmibai College in North West Delhi. However, police later found significant inconsistencies in her statement.
Sources stated that the other co-accused, Arman and Ishan, are currently in Agra with their mother, Shabnam, and are expected to join the investigation shortly.
Technical evidence, the sources said, placed Jitender far from the crime scene. “The alleged person, Jitender, who works as a painter, was confirmed to be in Karol Bagh since the morning of the incident. This is supported by CDR analysis, CCTV footage, and witness statements. The motorcycle allegedly used in the attack was also located in Karol Bagh at the time,” the sources said.
In a related development, Shabnam informed the police that she herself was an acid attack victim in 2018, allegedly at the hands of the relatives of Akeel Khan. She also cited an ongoing property dispute with Khan concerning a Mangolpuri property, a case which is currently on.
The case found a new twist when Jitender’s wife alleged on Monday that it was the victim’s father who “plotted and executed” the crime to frame her husband in a bid to pressurize her into settling a sexual assault case she had filed against him.
Police have a clean chit to Jitender and the other two accused.
