Delhi college student’s father arrested for fabricating acid attack story: Police

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The Delhi Police on Monday arrested the father of a Delhi University student for allegedly staging a fake acid attack on his daughter. The development comes a day after reports claimed that a 20-year-old DU student was attacked near Laxmi Bai College.

According to police, the case took a dramatic turn when multiple inconsistencies emerged, including CCTV footage showing no presence of the alleged attackers, discrepancies in the victim’s movement, and the location of the accused being kilometres away from the scene.

The complainant, a second-year BCom student enrolled under DU’s Non-Collegiate Women’s Education Board, had alleged that three men, Jitender and his brothers, Ishan and Arman, threw acid on her while she was on her way to class.

However, police later revealed that Jitender’s wife had filed a rape complaint against the student’s father, Akil Khan, at Bhalswa Dairy Police Station. She accused Khan of sexually assaulting and blackmailing her with private photos and videos during her employment at his socks manufacturing unit between 2021 and 2024.

Investigators said Jitender’s mobile location was in in Karol Bagh, about 5 km from the alleged crime scene, during the time of the incident. His CCTV footage and call records confirmed his presence there, police said. Even the motorcycle allegedly used in the attack was found in Karol Bagh.

“No traces of acid were found at the scene. The FSL team also did not recover any acid bottles, and there is no CCTV footage of three men on a motorcycle in the area," an officer said.

The investigation also found that the student had deboarded her e-rickshaw 300 metres away from the college gate and that her brother, who accompanied her earlier, is now untraceable.

Police said Ishan and Arman, both distant relatives of the victim, are currently in Agra with their mother, Shabnam, who is a resident of Mangolpuri and has been asked to join the probe.

Officers added that Shabnam had also accused Akil Khan of rape in 2018, and the case is still pending in court. That same year, she alleged that Khan had carried out an acid attack on her, and an FIR was filed at the Mangolpuri Police Station.

Police said that a property dispute between the two families in Mangolpuri appears to be at the centre of the long-standing feud.

“A bag belonging to the victim, allegedly stained with acid, and a kurti were recovered,” an officer said. “Given the contradictions in statements and background details, senior officers are closely monitoring the investigation to verify the authenticity of the FIR and the claims made by all parties.”