Kathmandu, March 10

Police arrested a woman for allegedly pouring acid on her husband’s face late last night in Purano Guheshwori, near Balaju, Kathmandu.

Parmila Thapa, 29, a new mother, poured acid on her husband, Ramraja Thapa’s face while he was asleep, according to police. Parmiala, who gave birth to a baby boy around three months ago, has kept mum on the incident, said police. Police have been struggling to establish the motive behind the incident. They said the couple had a troubled relationship for long.

Deputy Superintendent of Police Ranjit Singh Rathaur said, “Although the woman has remained silent on the issue we found out from their close relatives and neighbours that their relationship was not good.

There was no chance of the attack by a third person since the incident took place inside a closed room where the couple lived.

“Ramraja, 27, is a driver of a micro-bus that plies along the Kathmandu-Dharan route and Parmila used to run an eatery at Manmaiju. Parmila had left her job few months ago due to pressure from her husband and also because she was pregnant.

Police said Ramraja could have stored the acid used in the attack from the battery of his vehicle. “The acid was in a regular beer bottle, which we suspect the victim might have stored to use in the battery of his vehicle,” DSP Rathaur said.

The crime scene showed that some amount of the concentrated acid was poured on Ramraja’s face from close range, according to DSP Rathaur. “He has suffered some injuries in his hands, that probably happened after he tried to wipe his face due to burning sensation.

There are also burn marks in his chest,” DSP Rathaur said.

Police have recovered the broken beer glass, which Parmila had supposedly thrown out of their rented room on the second floor of the house.

Police have not been able to get details about the incident from Ramraja as he is in no condition to speak much. “He has hinted that Parmila was behind the incident,” DSP Rathaur said.

Police were informed about the incident by Ramraja’s elder brother. Ramraja was rushed to Tribhuvan University’s Teaching Hospital at Maharajgunj for treatment. Currently his health condition is stable, according to police.