Jilted lover bought 9 litres of sulphuric acid, threw 500 gm on Bengaluru woman

Nagesh Babu, 34, the alleged attacker who has been arrested, bought nine kg of sulphuric acid on April 20, Bengaluru top cop Kamal Pant told reporters on Saturday

The acid attack on a 25-year-old woman in western Bengaluru last month was the result of an elaborate, diabolic plan, according to police.

Nagesh Babu, 34, the alleged attacker who has been arrested, bought nine litres of sulphuric acid on April 20, Bengaluru top cop Kamal Pant told reporters on Saturday.

At around 8.30 am on April 28, Babu threw half-litre sulphuric acid on her outside her workplace in Sunkadakatte.

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Babu procured the acid from a manufacturer in Peenya, placing the order by mail using the letterhead of a private firm where he worked earlier. He told the manufacturer the acid was for cleaning buildings, Pant said.

After the acid attack, Babu called up his brother and a friend, saying he will surrender in court but they asked him to go to the police instead. He agreed but couldn’t get a lawyer on time. He decided to flee.

He left his two-wheeler in the garment factory and went to Hoskote by auto. In Hoskote, he allegedly tried to jump into a lake but changed his mind. He then prayed in a temple to “expiate” his sin. He then got into a bus heading for Malur, intending to visit Tirupati. But he changed his mind. At Malur, he took a bus to Krishnagiri and later went to Tiruvannamalai.

Read | Bengaluru acid attacker Nagesh nabbed in Tamil Nadu

The next day, he bought saffron robes and went to the Ramana Ashram. He told the staff he was an orphan and sought shelter. He spent the days in the ashram and slept outside at night. He carried about Rs 3 lakh in cash.

By this time, cops were frustrated in their efforts to hunt him down. He didn’t use a phone or hadn’t contacted anyone. Police released his posters in Kannada, Tamil, Telugu and Hindi.

His family told the police he strongly believed in God. So a team of 50 cops supervised by Sanjeev M Patil, DCP (West), pasted posters in Tirupati and Tiruvannamalai.

A resident of Tiruvannamalai saw the poster on Friday and called the number given therein, saying the suspect was in an ashram. He even sent the police Babu’s latest photo.

Kamakshipalya police inspector Prashanth M asked assistant sub-inspector Shivanna and head constable Ravi Kumar, who both were in Thiruvannamalai, to go to the ashram. The cops removed the posters so Babu wouldn’t get suspicious and flee, Patil said.

Shivanna and Kumar went to the ashram at 3 pm on Friday and found Babu meditating there. They sat next to him to check if he wasn’t carrying any weapons. They noticed a burn injury on his right hand. The cops confirmed his name and detained him.

Babu told the police he loved her more than anything else. But she called him ‘Anna’ (brother) and said she was going to marry someone else. He threatened the acid attack. When her family learnt about this, they complained to his brother. He got furious and decided to act on the threat. Babu has promised to marry her if her family agrees.

Pant promised a speedy charge sheet, saying they have a “watertight” case with a lot of evidence and witness testimonies. “We will ask for a speedy trial,” he added.