Woman critically injured in machete, acid attack by husband in Bengaluru

A 26-year-old woman is battling for her life after her husband allegedly attacked her with a machete and poured a suspected acidic substance on her outside a private hospital in J.P. Nagar, south Bengaluru, on Thursday morning.

The woman, Madhumita, worked at the hospital and had stepped out around 9.15 a.m. for breakfast when the attack took place. The accused, identified as Venkatesan, is said to have struck her with the machete and then poured a liquid believed to be acid on her before trying to escape.

Bystanders attempted to chase him down, but he managed to run some distance before a sub-inspector with the Bengaluru Traffic Police intercepted and detained him. He was subsequently handed over to the J.P. Nagar police.

Madhumita is reported to be in a critical condition and is being treated in the intensive care unit.

Preliminary inquiries indicate that the liquid used in the attack had acidic properties. Scene of Crime officers have collected samples and sent them to the Forensic Science Laboratory to establish whether the substance was industrial acid or a floor-cleaning agent. The police will trace its source once the laboratory report is available, a senior officer said.

Investigators have pieced together the couple's background from initial findings. Venkatesan, a native of Tamil Nadu, married Madhumita, who is from West Bengal, in Madurai about three years ago. The two had been living apart for the past year amid marital discord. While Venkatesan had been working in Bengaluru and recently shifted to Tamil Nadu after taking a new job, Madhumita continued to work at the private hospital and stayed at a paying guest accommodation in south Bengaluru.

According to the police, Venkatesan rode into the city on his motorcycle on Wednesday night and waited near the hospital for Madhumita before attacking her the following morning.

While a marital dispute is suspected to be behind the attack, the police are yet to determine the exact motive. The J.P. Nagar police have registered a first information report under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and an investigation is under way.