Bengaluru: Acid attacker tries to flee, police shoot him in the leg

Bengaluru: The accused in an acid attack case was allegedly shot at by a police team that was escorting him back to the city from neighbouring Tamil Nadu on Saturday, after he assaulted the head constable in a bid to escape. When police permitted him to relieve himself, Nagesh (34) allegedly attacked Mahadevaiah, attached to the Kamakshipalya police station, with an intention to flee at around 1:30 am, as they were nearing Kengeri here, police said.

After warning him several times, the police inspector opened fire and the bullet hit Nagesh's right leg. Both the injured persons were rushed to hospital. Nagesh on the morning of April 28 had attacked a 25-year-old woman working in a gold finance firm with acid in front of her office, as she refused to accept his marriage proposal.

The victim is currently undergoing treatment at a hospital here and is said to be out of danger. The State government has decided to take care of her medical expenses. Sharing details of Nagesh's arrest, Bengaluru Police Commissioner Kamal Pant said he was arrested on Friday night at Tiruvannamalai. "He had gone to Tiruvannamalai on the same day of the crime, as he believed that people go there after committing crime for penance, and started living there wearing saffron clothes.

He was not using mobile, laptop, electronic card or anything that reveals his identity," Pant told reporters here. He said the police decided to put up his posters at all the major temples in different parts of the country and those which he frequented after he had vanished without a trace after throwing acid on the woman. Subsequently, they received a call sharing information about a person resembling the accused present there, and the informer shared his photo.

The police team that was in Tiruvannamalai tactfully made Nagesh reveal his identity and later took him into custody. Pant said, "There is enough evidence regarding the case, we will soon file a charge sheet and request the court for a speedy trial." With a confused mind after the incident, Nagesh had even planned to commit suicide by jumping into the lake near Hoskote, on the outskirts of the city, the police chief added.

The Commissioner further said a case was registered at the Kamakshipalya police station here and senior police officials monitored the case on a daily basis and nabbed the accused in 16 days. The accused and the victim resided in the same building 7 years ago, during which he had tried to make friends with her, but she had objected to it and her family had ensured that he moved out of the place.

According to the information available, the accused had a friend residing in the building with whom he had business dealings as well, and through him he used to get all the information about her. "We have come to know from the investigation that he used to stalk her and on getting to know that preparations were on by the family to get the woman married, he became restless and desperate and had made a failed attempt to convince her family by meeting her uncle and aunt," Pant said.

Realising that the victim and her family wouldn't agree, he decided to attack her with acid and purchased it on April 20 from a lab by misusing the letterhead and email of a housekeeping company, where he had worked earlier, the commissioner said. During investigation, it was also found that in 2020, the accused had purchased acid in a similar method, but did not use it then.

On April 27, Nagesh once again tried to meet the woman with a marriage proposal at her office, but she "bluntly rejected" it and her office manager also had warned him. On April 28, he once again had gone to the woman's office and attacked her with acid and escaped from the spot.