India: Father-in-law attacks son-in-law with acid over honeymoon dispute
Victim hoped to visit Kashmir, but father-in-law wanted couple to go on pilgrimage
Dubai: A dream honeymoon turned into a nightmare for a 29-year-old man in Maharashtra’s Thane district when his father-in-law brutally attacked him with acid, a report in the Indian media said on Thursday.
The shocking assault stemmed from a disagreement over where the newlyweds should travel for their honeymoon, leaving the man hospitalised with serious injuries while the accused remains on the run.
The victim, Ibad Atik Falke, had hoped to visit Kashmir with his wife, but his father-in-law, Jaki Gulam Murtaza Khotal (65), wanted the couple to embark on a religious pilgrimage abroad. What began as a domestic disagreement escalated into a horrifying act of violence, the Thane police was quoted as saying.
On Wednesday night, as Falke returned home and parked his vehicle by the roadside, Khotal — waiting in his car — approached him and allegedly doused him with acid in a premeditated attack.
Seeking ways to break the marriage
Investigators revealed that Khotal disapproved of his daughter’s marriage to Falke and had been seeking ways to break it apart.
“Khotal wanted to end his daughter’s marriage and resorted to this heinous act,” the senior inspector stated. Police have launched a manhunt for Khotal, who remains absconding.
He has been charged under several sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including voluntarily causing grievous hurt by acid and criminal intimidation. The incident has left the local community in shock, with many questioning how a disagreement over something as trivial as a honeymoon destination could spiral into such a horrifying act of violence.