Preeti Rathi acid attack case: Police file draft charges

Mumbai: The crime branch today filed draft charges against sole accused Ankur Panwar in the Delhi resident Preeti Rathi acid attack case. “We have filed the draft charges in the court and have sought to charge him (Panwar) for murder and voluntarily throwing acid,” special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam told PTI. The sessions court has posted the matter to next month. [caption id=“attachment_1642023” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Reuters[/caption] The Mumbai police had filed a 1332-page chargesheet against Panwar in April and also submitted a list of 98 witnesses. According to the chargesheet, Panwar (23), A HOTEL management graduate, hurled concentrated sulfuric acid on Preeti on May 2, 2013 at Bandra station here, as he was jealous of her career growth. Preeti succumbed to her injuries at Bombay Hospital here on June 1, 2013. Panwar, who was Rathi’s neighbour in Bhakra Beas Management Board Colony in Delhi, was arrested from the national capital in January this year. According to police, Panwar’s parents often jibed him for not getting a job despite completing his education and would praise Preeti, who landed a job at the Navy hospital in Mumbai. According to prosecution, Panwar became very jealous of Preeti and wanted to harm her face so as to destroy her career. He procured the acid on April 2 and boarded the same train taken by Preeti and her family to reach Mumbai where she was supposed to join the Colaba Naval hospital (INS Ashwini) as a staff nurse. Panwar allegedly flung acid on Preeti when she got down from Garib Rath Express at the Bandra Terminus and took the same train back home. The incident had set the local police on a wild goose chase as Panwar had covered his face at the time of the attack. IANS