Stalker, friend held after woman, 22, attacked with acid in Chhattisgarh’s Balod: Police

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.

The woman, who was preparing for competitive examinations, was attacked with acid on Monday while returning home on foot after studying at a library in the neighbourhood. An unidentified man allegedly threw acid at her before fleeing, an officer said.

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.

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. Her condition is said to be stable, police said.

According to police officers, Sonkar wanted to marry the woman despite her rejection. He also suspected that she was speaking to another man and allegedly planned the attack with Kunjam.

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.

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.

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.

According to investigators, Sonkar told police that he and Kunjam, his school-time friend, had planned the attack around three months ago.

Sonkar allegedly called Kunjam, a resident of Bhairamgarh in Bijapur district, to Balod on September 26 after his attempts to convince the woman to marry him failed. The duo allegedly purchased acid on September 27 and planned to attack the woman during a Ganesh idol immersion procession, but abandoned the plan due to heavy security arrangements, police said.

On Monday, when the woman was returning home from the library, Kunjam allegedly threw acid at her, police said. After the attack, Kunjam allegedly fled towards Tandula Dam and later travelled by hitchhiking through Jhalmala and Markatola before reaching Charama in Kanker district.

Following Sonkar’s statement, police traced Kunjam and detained him from Kondagaon district. The acid allegedly used in the attack has also been seized, a police officer said.