Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: A garage owner and a customer were seriously injured after an unidentified man allegedly threw acid on them while they were changing a motorcycle tyre at a garage in the Vishnunagar area on Sunday.
Both injured persons are undergoing treatment at the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH). The Jawaharnagar Police have registered a case against an unidentified attacker and launched an investigation.
The injured garage owner has been identified as Siraj Nazir Shaikh (26), a resident of Bharatnagar, while the customer has been identified as Vaibhav Anilrao Pujdekar (28), a resident of Shendra.
According to police, Siraj has been running a garage in the Vishnunagar area for the past eight years. On Sunday at around 11 am, he was working at his garage when Vaibhav arrived to get the tyre of his motorcycle changed.
While Siraj was changing the tyre, an unidentified man suddenly arrived and threw acid at him. Some of the acid also splashed on Vaibhav, who was standing nearby. Siraj sustained burn injuries on his head, cheek, shoulder, and leg, while Vaibhav suffered injuries on his left cheek and hand.
After the attack, both victims started shouting for help. Local residents rushed to the spot and poured water on them to reduce the burning sensation. Water was brought from a nearby sweet shop. The attacker fled immediately after carrying out the assault.
On receiving information, a team from the Jawaharnagar Police Station reached the spot and shifted the injured to GMCH for treatment. The garage is located on the Akashwani–Trimurti Chowk Road.
During the investigation, police checked CCTV footage from the area and noticed three motorcycles moving under suspicious circumstances. Officials are probing this lead.
Police are also investigating how the accused obtained the acid, as the sale of acid is strictly regulated in the city.
Speaking from the hospital, injured Vaibhav said the attack happened suddenly, and they could not see the assailant clearly.
“It happened very suddenly. We could not see the attacker. Our skin started burning, and we tried to cool it with water,” he said.
