Stalker, 23, throws acid on minor girl, her two friends; arrested

The accused had come to the college wearing uniform and investigation is going on to find who gave him the uniform

Bengaluru: A 23-year-old man was arrested for throwing acid on three girls who were about to sit for their exam inside the PU Government College in Kadaba near Mangaluru on Monday, police said, adding that the suspect carried committed the crime after one of the three rejected his repeated advances.

The suspect, Abin (23), was caught after the incident (Representative photo)

The suspect, Abin (23), was caught soon after the incident. “Our interrogation has revealed that the accused threw the acid as one of the girls had rejected his relationship offer. Enraged by the rejection, the accused came to college wearing a college uniform and a face mask, throwing acid on female students who were studying to appear in the examination held today,” an officer aware of the development said.

The three girls were admitted to a local hospital and are said to be out of danger.

Police said both the accused Abin, from Mallapuram district and pursuing an MBA, and the injured girl, a minor, enrolled in the second year science stream at the college, were from Kerala.

“The student who was attacked with acid and the accused belong to the same community and used to live nearby in Kerala,” Dakshina Kannada District Superintendent of Police C.B. Risyanth said, adding: “It looks like an act out of desperation due to rejection of love. The accused had come to the place wearing a college uniform. An investigation is going on as to who gave him the uniform,” he said.

While a case under IPC Section 326(A), which deals with acid attack, has been registered, police said that if the parents of the girl file a complaint, they will invoke POCSO charges against the accused.

Expressing concern on the acid attack Udupi Lok Sabha MP and BJP leader, Shobha Karandlaje emphasised the severe law and order challenges that state was facing.

“The recent acid attack on female students at Kadaba Govt Junior College, carried out by an accused from Kerala, highlights a dire law & order situation. The victims’ future hangs by a thread,” Karandlaje wrote in a post on X.