A 22-year-old woman was the victim of an acid attack in Chhattisgarh’s Balod district after she spurned the attacker’s requests to marry him.

The incident occurred on Monday afternoon, when the victim, who was preparing for competitive exams, was returning home from the library. The attackers, Yash Kumar Sonkar and his friend Karan Kunjam, waylaid the woman and threw acid on her face before fleeing.

The woman suffered severe burn injuries on her face and hand, including deep wounds on her right cheek and right eye, which is likely to lead to a complete loss of vision.

“The woman has suffered injuries on her face and both eyes. Her right eye is badly affected. She has a total of 8 per cent burn injuries on her body. She will recover, but the vision in her right eye will take time to restore. At present, she does not have vision in her right eye,” said a doctor who wished to remain anonymous.

The incident, purportedly the first acid attack in Balod, sparked outrage in the region, and in a swift response, police traced and arrested within just eight hours both the 20-year-old accused and his aide, also 20.