A 45-year-old man was arrested on Sunday, a day after he threw acid on his estranged wife, at Kengeri on the outskirts of the city in a desperate attempt to bring her back home.
The accused Kumar, a small-time painter, had fled after throwing acid on his wife Gouramma (37) at an isolated spot, off Dubasipalya Main Road, near R.V. College of Engineering, on Saturday.
He was arrested at Kengeri bus-stand, where his acid-scarred hand caught the attention of the police.Ms. Gouramma, who works in a garment factory, had been married to Kumar for 17 years, and they have four children — between the ages 11 and 16. However, for the last five years, the couple had been estranged. Kumar stayed near Kumbalgodu, while Ms. Gouramma stayed with her friend at Muttraya Nagar in Jnana Bharathi Nagar.
The children stay in hostels in the city.
According to the police, Kumar suspected Ms. Gouramma of having an illicit relationship. “He pleaded with her to come back, but Ms. Gouramma refused. Kumar thought she didn't want to return because she was in a relationship with another man, and they had constant fights about it,” said a police official.
The dispute turned violent on Saturday morning when Ms. Gouramma was called by Kumar to see a house off Dubasipalya Main Road.
However, on meeting her around 8.45 a.m., he took her to an isolated plot, where he threw acid on her and fled. Her screams alerted passers-by and she was rushed to a nearby private hospital. Doctors there said she had suffered 20 per cent burns, mostly around the chest and back. A few drops of acid that fell on the face, left scars on the cheeks and chin.
