Delhi 'acid' attack: police arrest one of the accused, search on for second

Two bike riders attacked a 17-year-old girl with an acid-like substance near Uttam Nagar in west Delhi on Wednesday, police said.

The girl has been admitted to Safdarjung Hospital.

"She has suffered 7-8 per cent facial burns and her eyes have also been affected. She is being examined. She is admitted in the burn ICU and is stable," a doctor said.

One of the alleged culprits has been detained, police said.

According to police, the matter was reported to them around 9 am and the victim was attacked in Mohan Garden area.

"A PCR call was received around 9 am regarding an incident of throwing acid on a girl in the area of Mohan Garden Police Station.

"It was stated that a girl aged 17 years was allegedly attacked with some acid-like substance by two persons on a bike around 7.30 am this morning," said Deputy Commissioner of Police (Dwarka) M Harsha Vardhan.

The girl was with her younger sister at the time of the incident, the officer said.

According to police, CCTV footage of the incident has captured two people throwing 'acid' at the girl.

The girl has named two persons who could be responsible for the attack, one of whom has been detained by police, the DCP added.

In a post on Twitter, Delhi Commission for Women Chairperson Swati Maliwal demanded justice for the school-going girl and criticised the government for not being able to enforce the ban on the over-the-counter sale of acid in the country.

"Acid was thrown at a school girl near Dwarka Mor. Our team is reaching the hospital to help the victim. Will get justice for the daughter. The Delhi Commission for Women has been fighting for years to ban acid in the country. When will the government wake up?" she wrote in a tweet in Hindi.

Aam Aadmi Party National Spokesperson Saurabh Bharadwaj also raised concerns over the “increasing” rate of crime in the national capital.

"LG Saab, you have Delhi Police and crime is increasing every day. Instead of interfering in the work of the Delhi government, you should concentrate on your work. After your arrival, crimes are increasing in Delhi," he tweeted in Hindi.