Bengaluru man suffers burn injuries after bathroom cleaner hurled, police hunt for accused

Bengaluru, Sep 23 (IANS) A 31-year-old man was attacked with a bathroom cleaner containing acid content, causing injuries to his face, said officials here on Monday.

The case came to light in Kamakshipalya police station limits in Bengaluru. DCP (West) S. Girish said that the victim, identified as Nangesh Konda, is a resident of Kamakshipalya. The accused is an unknown person and the case in this regard has been lodged under the provisions of 124 (1) of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS).

The victim was admitted to the Victoria Hospital. His left eye was injured and was not able to open it. He has suffered burn injuries on the face and left hand, said the DCP adding that the incident had taken place on Sunday.

The police seized the plastic bottle in which the chemical with acid substance was carried. "If it were to be purely acid, the plastic bottle melted instantly," the DCP stated.

The victim Nagesh had stated that he was staying in the area for one year and worked at a factory. Two years ago when he was working in the Whitefield area, he got introduced to Laxmi who lived close by. They were in touch over the phone and used to speak to each other on mobile.

On Sunday noon, when Nagesh was walking towards a liquor shop, he got a call from Laxmi. While he was talking over mobile, an unknown person came from behind and threw the chemical on his face. The accused had fled after the incident.

Nagesh said that he started having a burning sensation soon after and felt that smoke was coming out of his face. He had informed his friend about the incident and the company manager shifted him to the nearest hospital. Later he was shifted to the Victoria Hospital in an ambulance, police said.

The accused is yet to be tracked and arrested.

The incident of an acid attack on a 24-year-old MCom graduate on the way to her work for rejecting a stalker's advances reported in the limits of Kamakshipalya police station in 2022 had made national news.

A team of about 100 police personnel had launched a hunt for him in various states. Finally, the accused was arrested in a temple in Tamil Nadu's Tiruvannamalai. He had disguised himself as a religious seer. The police had shot him in the leg when he tried to escape while bringing him back to Bengaluru from Tamil Nadu.