Man attacks estranged wife with acid in Qayyumabad

A man believed to be a drug addict attacked his estranged wife with acid in the Qayyumabad neighbourhood on Thursday. The victim’s sister-in-law and son were also reportedly injured in the incident.

Defence police officials said the attack occurred at the woman’s parents’ house, where the mother of three had been living after she had a fight with her husband Sajid. The woman, identified as Saima, was taken to the burns ward of the Dr Ruth KM Pfau Civil Hospital Karachi (CHK), where the doctors were trying to save her life, saying that she had suffered burns on different parts of the body, including her face.

Saima’s family told the police that her husband had come to take her back home, but she refused. Her brother Amir said Sajid had tried to take her back home several times before but she always refused to go with him.

He said that this time Sajid had brought acid with him that he had purchased from a shop near their house, adding that he threw it on her after a heated argument and fled. Besides Saima, her sister-in-law and son were also reportedly injured in the incident, but the police said they had not received any information about more casualties.

“Saima was the only injured reported and admitted to the hospital. We don’t have any information about other family members’ injuries,” Defence SHO Azam Rajper told The News. “But we have reports that Sajid himself suffered injuries while throwing the acid on his wife.”

The family said Sajid was a drug addict and Saima was a domestic worker. SHO Rajper said the couple belonged to southern Punjab and theirs was a Watta Satta exchange marriage. “We’ve taken the suspect’s brother into custody to get help in arresting him. He’ll be arrested soon.”