SRINAGAR: The car-borne youths who carried out acid attack on a law student in the city on Thursday allegedly tried to flee Kashmir as they attempted to catch a flight from Srinagar airport but could not get tickets.
Police were informed by an alert citizen, a Kashmiri doctor working in Kolkata, who claimed he had seen the car, which was used by the youths in the acid attack, at the Srinagar international airport but the accused could not be apprehended, official sources said.
A 21-year-old law student suffered severe burn injuries when the car-borne youth splashed acid on her face outside the private law college at Nowshehra in the city on Thursday.
Eyewitnesses have told police that the car, which had ‘MANSA’ inscribed on the back screen, had its registration plate covered, indicating that the attack was well planned.
Immediately after the attack, the police had put out the description of the car along with the inscription on the back screen through social media, which came to the notice of the doctor.
The sources said the doctor, who was returning to Kolkata, informed the police that he saw the four youths in the car described in the police message on social media.
According to the doctor, two of the four approached the counter of a private airline for tickets to fly out of the Valley but were turned away by the staff due to unavailability of tickets.
By the time a team from Budgam police headquarters reached the airport, the youth had left in their car, the sources said.
The doctor showed the police team the spot where the car was parked. He also gave the police the description about appearance and the clothes they were wearing, the sources said.
Although senior police officials said they had alerted all the exit points from the Valley about the car and the assailants, there has been no headway in the case so far.
“We had alerted the security at the airport and other exit points about the youth trying to flee… the investigations are in progress and we will get them (assailants),” Inspector General of Police Kashmir Range Abdul Gani Mir told PTI.
The sources said police are now examining the CCTV footage of the airport in an attempt to identify the assailants and track them down.
It is also not clear how the youths got entry into the premises as paramilitary security personnel at the drop gate of the airport only allow passengers with valid tickets for the day of travel inside the airport.
For those who come to pick up someone arriving at the airport, the security personnel only allow the driver of the vehicle inside the premises.(PTI)
