Man Pours Sanitiser On Teen, Sets Her On Fire After Her Father Slapped Him

A man has been arrested for allegedly pouring sanitiser on a 16-year-old girl and setting her on fire in Punjab's Mohali, police said on Saturday.

The teenager has been hospitalised after she suffered serious burns in the incident.

A police official said accused Deepak, stated to be in his early 20s, has been arrested after the incident on Friday.

The girl was first taken to a government hospital in Mohali after which, owing to her serious burns, she was referred to the Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) in Chandigarh. Police have recorded her statement in the presence of doctors at the PGIMER, officials told reporters.

According to the FIR, in her statement to police, the girl has said she was going to her grandmother's house in Mohali on Friday morning when the accused pulled her into his house and the two talked for 10-15 minutes.

Subsequently, the girl's grandmother and father reached the accused's house looking for her.

Following a heated argument with the accused, the girl's father slapped him, the FIR said.

After some time, Deepak, along with some of his family members, came to the girl's house and a fight broke out between the two families.

Holding a plastic bottle containing a liquid in his hand, Deepak followed the girl to the upper floor of her house, poured the liquid on her and set her ablaze, the FIR said.

It added that Deepak had locked the room from inside. After the victim opened the door, her father poured water on her, before rushing her to a hospital.

Based on the victim's statement, a case under sections 109 (attempt to murder), 74 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 331 (house trespass) and 124(1) (voluntarily causing grievous hurt by use of acid etc.) and relevant provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act was lodged.

Further investigation is going on, police said.
 

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