Patna: A woman has been arrested in Bihar for allegedly masterminding an acid attack on a beautician whom she suspected of having an affair with her husband, police said on Wednesday.
According to investigators, the accused, identified as Neetu, confessed during questioning that she had paid Rs. 1 lakh to hire an attacker, with the intention of disfiguring the victim rather than killing her. Police said the attack was planned over several weeks and involved the assistance of a domestic worker.
During police questioning, Neetu said she had suspected for two years that her husband was having an affair with the beautician, claiming they met secretly and deleted messages when confronted. Fearing her family would fall apart, she discussed the matter with her maid and planned an acid attack. Neetu said she befriended the woman by regularly visiting her beauty parlour, while the maid assisted in the plan. She admitted to hiring an assailant for Rs. 1 lakh to carry out the attack. The assailant, identified as Mohammad Ahsan, allegedly intercepted the women on a deserted stretch of road and threw acid on the victim’s face before fleeing on a motorcycle.
The victim sustained serious burn injuries and was rushed to the hospital, where she is undergoing treatment.
Mokama subdivision police officer Anand Kumar Singh said suspicion initially fell on the two women who were accompanying the victim at the time of the attack. CCTV footage, mobile call records and location data helped investigators reconstruct the events.
Police recovered Rs. 97,000 in cash, three mobile phones and a motorcycle from the accused’s residence. Burnt clothing and an acid container were later seized from the alleged attacker’s home. The domestic worker confessed to her role during questioning, police said.
The accused woman has been taken into custody, while the main assailant remains at large. “She will be arrested soon,” Singh said. Acid attacks remain a serious criminal offence in India, punishable by life imprisonment, and are recognised as a form of extreme gender-based violence.
