Title - Railway cops bring Bandra acid 'attacker' to Mumbai

The Government Railway police (GRP) on Thursday arrested 24-year-old Pawan Kumar Ghelan for allegedly throwing acid on the face of 23-year-old Preeti Rathi, at Bandra Terminus on May 2.

The Government Railway police (GRP) on Thursday arrested 24-year-old Pawan Kumar Ghelan for allegedly throwing acid on the face of 23-year-old Preeti Rathi, at Bandra Terminus on May 2.

“Pawan Kumar Ghelan, a college student, was arrested on reasonable doubt. He originally hails from Rohtak in Haryana and studying in Delhi. The police also informed his father Azad Singh Ghelan about the arrest,” said Vijay Dhopavkar, senior police inspector of Bandra GRP station, adding that he will be produced before the Andheri court on Friday.

“During the investigation, we got the photograph of Pawan Kumar Ghelan from the CCTV footage at Bandra Terminus. CCTV captured his photo while he was fleeing after throwing acid on Preeti.” Said Dhopavkar.

The photograph of Pawan Kumar showed to Preeti, who is undergoing treatment at Masina Hospital in Byculla, and she identified Pawan Kumar as the one who was loitering at Delhi railway station while she and her family members were about to board the train. Pawan Kumar also contacted Preeti’s sister last month on her mobile phone thrice and inquired about Preeti.

The GRP police team detained Pawan Kumar from Delhi on Wednesday and brought him to Mumbai by Swaraj Express on Thursday evening, said Dhopavkar.. The police are yet to find the real motive behind the acid attack, said Dhopavkar. Five people, including three of a family, were injured when a masked man threw acid on Preeti Rathi on May 2 soon after she alighted from Garib Rath Express at Bandra Terminus. Besides her, her uncle Vinod Kumar Dahia, 49 and his wife Sunita Dahia, 35 sustained minor injuries in acid attack.