Gujarat: Man injects ex-wife with contaminated syringe in Surat, arrested

A man allegedly stabbed his former wife with a contaminated syringe during a family outing in Gujarat's Surat district, police said on Monday.

The police have arrested the man for the attack that took place when the family was out shopping on Sunday, an official from Rander police station said. The accused, who had divorced his wife two months ago, had invited her for an outing with their two children on Christmas day, he said.

The accused allegedly stabbed the woman with a contaminated syringe and fled the scene. The victim felt weak and drowsy and approached the nearest police station, he said. She was rushed to a private hospital. The police recorded her statement after she recovered, he said.

An offence has been registered under sections 328 (causing hurt by means of poison), 270 (act likely to spread the infection of dangerous to life) and 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means) of the Indian Penal Code, said B M Chaudhary, assistant commissioner of police Surat. "The couple had married 15 years ago, and they got divorced due to some domestic dispute. The accused invited her with their two sons. In the evening, he stabbed her with an injection," Chaudhary told reporters.

The accused has informed the police that he had sourced the contaminated syringe from the civil hospital, he said.

"A probe is underway to determine what infection the syringe carried, and more will be known after the report arrives from the forensic science laboratory," the official said.