He was discovered when a truck driver heard a little voice crying in a rubbish bin at the side of the road.
Terrified two-year-old Aditya Raj had suffered horrifying acid burns to much of his face, inflicted, his family claim, as part of a devastating revenge attack by a man the child’s mother had once refused to marry.
Police believe Aditya was abducted from his home in New Delhi, India, on the morning of December 13. The injured child was not found until the following morning, when half his face had been melted away by the vicious chemical.
The child’s mother, Soni (25) says she and her husband, Jamna (33) were forced to move house last year because they were being harassed by a man they know as Mangal.
They believe the man may have followed them. Police hope to speak to Mangal in relation to the abduction and they have also arrested Govind Ram Das (20) from Gurugram as part of their investigation.
Soni told Mail Online:
“I haven’t seen my son yet, I can’t look at him. I can’t believe he is suffering like this.
“I just don’t know what to do. He is my only son. I’m just helpless.”
Inspector Rupesh Kumar, from Khandsa Road Police Station, confirmed the kidnapping was carried out to take revenge on the couple. He told the Mail Online:
‘On the basis of CCTV footage, we have discovered that the boy was kidnapped. Govind has been arrested and has admitted to the crime.
‘We have imposed Section 326 A, punishment for throwing acid, 364, Kidnapping or abducting in order to murder, and 307 attempted murder of the Indian Penal Code on him.’
Aditya, who may lose his eye, continues to be treated at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, where his treatment is being covered by the local charity Make Love Not Scars.
Image: Mail Online/ Cover Asia Press / Faisal Magray
