Delhi girl faked acid attack with toilet cleaner; father behind plan held, booked for rape
New Delhi (PTI): The Delhi college student who alleged an acid attack had lied at the instance of her father, who wanted revenge against a rape complaint, police said on Monday.
Akil Khan, the student's father, was nabbed on Monday for allegedly fabricating the acid attack with a toilet cleaner, and raping the wife of the man his daughter accused of throwing "acid" at her.
On Sunday morning, a 20-year-old second-year BCom student enrolled in DU's Non-Collegiate Women's Education Board alleged that she had been attacked with acid by three men.
She named the three as Jitender and his two accomplices, Ishan and Arman, both brothers, and, as it later turned out, her relatives.
She claimed that she was attacked when she was on her way to attend an extra class, the police said.
However, several counterclaims soon emerged, one of which accused the father of the "victim" of rape.
Police had earlier found discrepancies in the student's statement and Jitender's location away from the crime spot.
In a statement, police said that Jitender's wife had earlier accused the alleged victim's father, Akil Khan, of rape. The matter was reported at the Bhalswa Dairy Police Station, but no written complaint was filed.
The woman alleged that between 2021 and 2024, she worked in Akil Khan's socks factory, where Khan sexually assaulted her and blackmailed her with her private photos and videos.
According to the police, the woman made PCR calls on October 24 and 25, but did not submit a written complaint.
On the basis of the allegation, police questioned Khan and arrested him when he revealed that he had fabricated the story of an acid attack, and the liquid in question was ordinary toilet cleaner.
"She (the student) allegedly put toilet cleaner on her hand after de-boarding the e-rickshaw… and screamed for attention," an officer said.
The woman had brought the liquid from her home in her bag, the officer said.
Earlier, investigators were perplexed as to why the student de-boarded the e-rickshaw about 300 metres away from her destination.
"Till Ashok Vihar, she was in a scooter with her brother. After that, she took an e-rickshaw to the college but de-boarded 300 metres away from the main gate of the college," the police said.
Her brother could not be contacted to join the investigation.
Jitender's location at the time of the incident was in Karol Bagh, around 5 km away from the crime scene.
Even the motorcycle said to have been used in the crime appears to be in Karol Bagh, the officer said.
Detained for questioning, Jitender, who works as a painter, maintained that he was not present in the area when the incident occurred.
No traces of acid were found at the spot, nor was there any sighting of the attackers in CCTV footage from the crime spot.
The Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) team failed to find any discarded acid bottles in the area.
Ishan and Arman, both distant relatives of the victim, the police said, are in Agra with their mother, Shabnam, a resident of Mangolpuri. They will be joining the investigation soon.
According to the police, in 2018, Shabnam too accused Akil Khan of rape. That matter is still sub judice.
It emerged that a long-standing dispute over a property in outer Delhi's Mangolpuri exists between the two families, the police said.
The same year, Shabnam alleged an acid attack by Khan and got an FIR filed at the Mangolpuri Police Station.
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J’khand: All 7 on board air ambulance killed in crash, bodies brought to hospital for post-mortem
Ranchi (PTI): All seven persons on board an air ambulance were killed after the aircraft crashed near Simaria in Jharkhand’s Chatra district, and their bodies have been brought to a hospital for post-mortem examination, officials said on Tuesday.
The Beechcraft C90 air ambulance, operated by Redbird Airways Pvt Ltd, was en route to Delhi from Ranchi when it crashed on Monday evening in the Bariatu Panchayat area of Simaria, located deep inside a forest, killing all seven onboard, including two pilots.
"We have brought all the seven bodies for post-mortem at Sadar Hospital, Chatra. The crash is being investigated," an official told PTI.
ALSO READ: Air ambulance with 7 onboard to Delhi from Ranchi crashes in Jharkhand's Chatra
The aircraft took off from Ranchi airport at 7.11 pm and went missing around 7.30 pm. It lost contact with the air traffic control about 20 minutes after departure, he said.
Ranchi airport director Vinod Kumar said inclement weather could be a possible reason behind the crash, though the exact cause would be ascertained after a detailed probe.
Jharkhand Health Minister Irfan Ansari said the state government will conduct a probe into how permission was given to the aircraft to fly during “inclement weather”. He also said proper compensation would be given to the kin of the deceased.
Terming the crash extremely unfortunate, Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth said unpleasant weather could be one of the reasons, which will be determined by the probe.
In a post on X, former chief minister and BJP leader Champai Soren said he was deeply saddened.
The deceased have been identified as Captain Vivek Vikas Bhagat, Captain Savrajdeep Singh, Sanjay Kumar, Dr Vikas Kumar Gupta, Sachin Kumar Mishra, Archana Devi and Dhuru Kumar.
Meanwhile, a lingering sense of grief prevailed in Chatra district, as the near and dear ones of those killed in the crash expressed shock and disbelief.
Bajrangi Prasad, the father of deceased Dr Vikas Kumar Gupta, said he had sold all his land to make his son a doctor, who was posted at Sadar Hospital in Ranchi.
"He has a seven-year-old son... He was meritorious and had completed his MBBS from Odisha’s Cuttack," Prasad, who hails from Bihar’s Aurangabad district, said.
Family members of Sanjay Kumar (41), however, blamed the “poor” health infrastructure behind the tragedy.
"Had we given proper treatment to my brother-in-law Sanjay in Ranchi, precious lives could have been saved. I lost both both Sanjay and sister Archana Devi in the incident," Kumar said.
Chatra Deputy Commissioner Keerthishree G had earlier told PTI that the bodies of all seven deceased were retrieved from the crash site and shifted to Chatra hospital for post-mortem examination.
In a statement, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said the Beechcraft C90 aircraft (VT-AJV) was operating a medical evacuation flight on the Ranchi-Delhi sector when it crashed in Kasaria Panchayat of Chatra district.
“The aircraft was airborne from Ranchi at 19:11 IST. After establishing contact with Kolkata at 19:34 IST, the aircraft lost communication and radar contact with Kolkata at approximately 100 nautical miles south-east of Varanasi,” it said, adding that there were seven people on board, including two crew members.
An Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) team has been dispatched to the crash site.
According to the DGCA website, Delhi-based non-scheduled operator Redbird has six aircraft in its fleet, including the one that crashed.
Anant Sinha, CEO of Devkamal Hospital in Ranchi, told PTI that the air ambulance was arranged by one of their patients.
"The patient, Sanjay Kumar, a resident of Chandwa in Latehar district, was brought to the hospital with 65 per cent burn injuries on February 16. He was being treated in the hospital," he said.
The family members decided to take him to Delhi for better treatment, Sinha said.
"They arranged for an air ambulance on Monday. The patient left the hospital for Delhi around 4.30 pm," he said.
