The Delhi Police on Monday said that the alleged acid attack on a 20-year-old Delhi University student was a fabricated incident, planned by her father, Akil Khan, to take revenge in a long-running personal dispute.
According to police officials, Khan was arrested for staging the acid attack using toilet cleaner and for raping the wife of one of the men his daughter had falsely accused.
On Sunday, the student had claimed that three men, Jitender and his brothers, Ishan and Arman, attacked her with acid while she was on her way to attend extra classes. However, investigators soon noticed major inconsistencies in her statement. CCTV footage showed no sign of an attack, and no acid traces or bottles were found at the site.
Police later discovered that the “acid” was actually toilet cleaner the student had carried in her bag. “She allegedly poured the liquid on her hand after getting off an e-rickshaw and screamed for attention,” an officer said.
The investigation took a turn when Jitender’s wife accused Khan of rape, claiming he had assaulted and blackmailed her with private photos while she worked at his socks factory between 2021 and 2024. She had made multiple PCR calls about the matter but hadn’t filed a formal complaint.
After being questioned, Khan confessed to fabricating the acid attack story to take revenge on Jitender’s family. Police said the two families have a history of disputes, including earlier rape and acid attack allegations filed by Jitender’s mother, Shabnam, against Khan in 2018 over a property conflict in Delhi’s Mangolpuri area.
Police said that Jitender was in Karol Bagh, nearly five kilometres from the alleged crime scene, at the time of the supposed attack, while his brothers were in Agra with their mother.
Officials said the investigation continues, and the student’s role in the incident is also being reviewed.
