Fashion designer set ablaze
In a grim reminder that women in the capital are unsafe, two unidentified men have allegedly attempted to burn alive a fashion designer outside her residence in a posh South Delhi locality, police said Sunday.
The attackers, who came on a motorbike, poured kerosene on Darvin and threw a lighted match stick at her in Greater Kailash II Sunday evening, police said. Investigators did not confirm reports that acid was also thrown on Darvin.
The fashion designer, with 80 per cent burn injuries, was first taken to Holy Family Hospital from where she was rushed to Safdarjung Hospital owing to the serious nature of the burns, police said. Her condition is stated to be critical.
Her mother-in-law, Kusum Suri, who also sustained burn injuries while trying to save her, said, “two men fled from the scene on a motorbike soon after the incident.”
“I did not see anything. Darvin came running inside and as I tried to save her, I also received injuries,” she said.
Her family claimed that she was getting threat calls for the past few days, and was also attacked four days back.
Though professional rivalry was suspected to be the motive behind the attack, police said during investigation, it was found one Ratna, who was working with her husband Naveen Suri’s travel agency in Gurgaon, had allegedly made the threat calls to Darvin.
Ratna, also a resident of Greater Kailash II, wanted to marry Naveen, police said, adding they were also investigating the role of Naveen, who rushed from Goa to the capital after the incident. Naveen had married Darvin 12 years ago.
Darvin’s mother-in-law and her two children were in the house when the incident occurred, police said.
