MUZAFFARABAD: A woman accused of throwing acid on another woman was apprehended by the police within five hours of the incident.

Rashid Habib Masoodi, station house officer (SHO) of City police, told Dawn on Sunday that the incident had occurred on Saturday afternoon when Humaira Naveed was on her way home from work at a cosmetics shop in Madina Market.

The accused, who was clad in a burqa, to conceal her identity started following her from her workplace and at a deserted place in Muhalla Shahnara threw acid on her.

However, the victim somehow managed to cover her face and the acid burnt her neck and other body parts, the SHO said.

He said the accused also snatched the victim’s mobile phone, rendering her unable to contact anyone and fled.

However, people from the nearby houses came to her rescue and shifted her to the CMH besides informing the police about the incident, he added.

The SHO said though apparently there was no clue to the accused particularly after the victim also denied having any enmity with anyone, his three-member team held the accused after around five hours in Tariqabad.

According to Mr Masoodi, the accused had confessed to her crime.

“She told us that she was distressed because Ms Naveed [victim] had not only refused to do make-up of her daughter on the eve of her [daughter’s] engagement but had also scoffed at them,” the SHO said.

He said the accused had been booked under section 336-B dealing with “hurt by corrosive substance” and would be produced before a judicial magistrate on Monday.

According to the penal code, whoever causes hurt by corrosive substance shall be punished with imprisonment for life or imprisonment of either description which shall not be less than 14 years and a minimum fine of Rs1 million.

Published in Dawn, June 21st, 2021