Staff Reporter :
Four members of a family, including mother and daughter, received severe burn injuries when masked assailants threw acid on them in their house at road no-13 of Rupnagar in the city’s Mirpur area on Thursday morning.
The acid- burned victims were identified as Mahfuza Akhter Subarna, 28, Suruj Alam Khan, 35, their daughter Sanzida Sultana Rima, 9, and Subarna’s sister Nilufar, 32.
Police arrested Suruj Alam Khan on suspicion of involvement in the acid attack after getting formal complaints from his wife Subarna.
Police also suspected that the reason behind the attack might be a sequel of long-standing family feud. Suruj Alam Khan has been living in a tin-shed house along with his three wives for the last five years.
Injured Subarna is the second wife of Suruj Alam Khan. She reportedly tried to resist her husband from marrying another woman for the fourth time. When contacted, Officer-in-Charge of Rupnagar Police Station Shahid Alam said, “The attackers fled away throwing acid on the victims. They managed to commit the crime as Subarna opened door of the house.” “We have arrested Suruj Alam Khan on charge of acid attack. We’ve also started investigation to know the actual reason behind the attack,” the OC said.
Meanwhile, the injured were admitted to burn unit of Dhaka Medical College and Hospital. Of the injured, the condition of Subarna was stated to be critical by the on-duty doctors. She received severe injuries in different parts of the body, including face, chest, back and hands. Besides, the hands to Rima and Sultana severely burnt as they tried to save their faces from acid attack, police said.
Subarna, who works in a garments factory, said that two masked men came to their house in the morning. They were carrying a packet of sweetmeat. They introduced themselves as distant relatives of Patuakhali village home and asked to open the door.
Entering the house, the criminals opened the sweetmeat box and brought out two bottles. Without wasting anytime they threw acid on Subarna. Other family members were injured when they came there to save her.
Police could not arrest the attackers till the time of filing this report at 7:30pm yesterday.
