Police on Wednesday arrested a man for throwing acid at his wife in Chitwan. Biren Gurung of Pokhara-1, aided with three other accomplices, attacked his 20-year-old wife Dolma Rumba. She was living with her parents in Jagatpur of Chitwan Bharatpur Metropolis-24. Gurung hails from Pokhara-1.

“Biren reserved a tourist van from Pokhara and travel to his in-laws house with three other accomplices where he attacked his wife with acid,” said DSP Durgaraj Regmi, spokesperson at Chitwan District Police Office. “The culprits were arrested from Narayangarh within an hour of the incident.”

The victim is receiving treatment at Teaching Hospital in Bharatpur. Her condition is normal. Dr Dayaram Chapagain, who is involved in Dolma’s treatment, said the acid has burned the skin around the victim’s eye.

“It seems the husband intended to damage the victim’s face but her defensive reflex reaction saved her from much injury,” said DSP Regmi. Police have collected the acid bottle and a torn jacket of Rumba.

Rumba had tied the knot with 47-year-old Gurung five years ago when she was working in Pokhara. “Gurung had somehow got my phone number and started calling me often,” said Rumba. “Once he asked me to meet him in Muglin, and proposed to marry me on the first meet. I agreed without giving much thought to it. But two years after marriage, he started drinking and beating me,” Rumba narrated her story from the hospital bed.

Rumba stayed at her paternal house for long time and returned to her husband’s home in mid-December. After a week-long stay, she again went to Chitwan to live with her parents. “I had got a temporary job at Lekhnath Festival in Pokhara but my husband created a ruckus there. After that I returned to my parents’ home again,” she said.

According to Rumba, her husband used to write unnecessary rumours about her and her sister in his facebook account, post their phone numbers publicly and write bad things about them. She said that she refrained from filing any police complaint thinking that he was her husband. Rumba said she never imagined that such ugly nightmare would occur in her life.

Police arrested Birendraman Gurung, 45, Bibek Gurung, 24, and Hom Thapa, 39, along with Biren Gurung, while they were trying to flee in the van. “We tried to stop them at Bharatpur’s Chaubiskothi but they didn’t stop. Later we nabbed them from Lions Chok,” said DSP Regmi.

Rumba’s father has already passed away and her mother was working in the field when she was attacked. She was with her four younger sisters when the crime occurred. This is the fourth incident of acid attack in Chitwan this year.