KARACHI: A man was arrested in Baldia Town on Sunday on charges of an acid attack on his ‘former’ wife while a woman was detained in New Karachi for an acid attack on her former husband, police officials said.

The Saeedabad police said that 21-year-old woman Ramsha suffered burn injuries in the acid attack allegedly by her estranged husband in Baldia Town on Saturday.

She was shifted to the burns centre of Dr Ruth Pfau Civil Hospital Karachi for treatment.

In her statement before the police, the acid victim who works at the office of a lawyer at City Courts, said that as she left her home in Baldia Town on Saturday morning, her ‘former’ husband, Syed Zeeshan, was standing at a corner of her street. She said when she passed by Zeeshan, he took out a bottle. As she ran for safety, the suspect got hold of her and threw acid on her body and fled.

Baldia SP Capt Faizan Ali told Dawn that the suspect was arrested on Sunday.

In his statement before the police, the suspect told the investigators that it was their love marriage, which went sore.

The woman said they got separated while the suspect claimed that he had not divorced her.

The suspect claimed that he was trying to reconcile with her.

The acid victim woman had married Zeeshan around two years ago.

She also used to make TikTok videos and had developed friendship with Zeeshan through social media.

The officer said that the woman continued making TikTok videos after the marriage, which became the bone of contention between the couple.

In February 2021, Ramsha developed serious differences with her husband and came back to her parents.

The SP said that the suspect told the police that he did not like his wife making TikTok videos, and through such activities she was allegedly “teasing” him, therefore, he attacked her with acid.

The officer said it appeared that Zeeshan was an “emotionally disturbed” person.

He said the woman had suffered up to 35 per cent burns and her condition was out of danger.

Woman held

In another acid attack in New Karachi, the police on Sunday claimed to have arrested a suspect woman, Shabana Kausar, in the Liaquatabad area. She had attacked her former husband, Mohammed Usman, with acid at his home in New Karachi on Aug 19. Usman was shifted to the burns centre of Dr Ruth Pfau Civil Hospital Karachi, where his condition was stated to be out of danger.

Area SHO Mohammed Nadeem said that the couple had separated. The suspect was insisting that her former husband remarry her after performing religious practice of halala. As the acid victim man appeared reluctant for a remarriage, the suspect threw acid on him and fled.

Published in Dawn, August 23rd, 2021