Odisha: Two children among four members of family injured in acid attack

Altogether four members of a family – two women and two children – suffered burn injuries when a man, the husband of one of the ladies, allegedly hurled acid on them in Odisha’s Balasore district, police said.

The incident occurred at Vimpura village under Sadar police station on Monday, when the man came to the house of his father-in-law to take his second wife back to his home at Santaragadia in Nilagiri area.

As the woman refused to go with him, Rana hurled acid at her. Her elder sister, who came to her rescue, also suffered burn injuries.

The elder sister’s son and daughter were also injured in the acid attack.

While the man fled, the four injured were taken to the nearby district headquarters hospital.

While the condition of the two children and their mother was stated to be stable, the accused man’s second wife was shifted to the SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack in critical condition.

Balasore SP Sagarika Nath said that the accused has been identified as Chandan Rana and he would be nabbed very soon.

The accused had married the younger sister of the family at a temple barely one-and-a-half months ago and took her to his village. However, she ran away from there after knowing that he is already married and has children.

The woman’s brother Jogesh Mandal said that Rana had kept his first marriage a secret when he married his sister.

As Rana works at a goldsmith’s shop, the police suspect that the acid he used in the crime might have been taken from there.