After being on the run for 16 days, the man who threw acid on a 25-year-old girl who spurned his overtures, was arrested from Tamil Nadu on Friday. Nagesh Babu was arrested from Sri Ramanasramam in Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu, where he had joined a programme, police sources said.
Nagesh had thrown acid on the woman on April 28 at her workplace. The victim suffered nearly 30% burns and is recovering at a hospital. She has been operated upon twice and is in ICU, but is stable.
He had fled from the scene and despite a massive manhunt being launched, had remained elusive. The police recovered his mobile and bike that he had abandoned on the city’s outskirts. He cut off all contact with his family and friends and turned out to be a tough nut to crack, the police said.
“Talking to his friends and family, we had a lead that he would favour religious destinations. Our teams had been searching most of the top pilgrim towns across the country, including in Uttarakhand. Our teams had been to Tiruvannamalai earlier as well, but returned empty-handed. But on Friday, enquiries in the temple town achieved a breakthrough,” said Sanjeev Patil, DCP (West). It is not yet known when he checked into the ashram.
Police investigations have revealed that Nagesh, who worked in a garments factory, had been pursuing the victim for seven years and when she spurned him repeatedly, he planned the acid attack and attacked her. He had also planned his escape from the city well, sources said.
