Man douses lover with acid

JAKARTA (JP): Central Jakarta police detectives are still looking for a man accused of pouring acid on his 17-year-old lover at the latter's house in Johar Baru last Thursday, an officer said on Wednesday.

Central Jakarta Police detective deputy chief Sr. Insp. Sutrisno said that his men are still waiting for Eva Yuliana to recover before seeking her assistance in finding the 28-year-old suspect, identified only as A.

"Eva is still in no condition to tell her side of the story," he said, adding that the victim is in critical condition at the Islamic hospital in Cempaka Putih.

"We assume that A won't go too far and can only hide in a rented house in a slum area," Sutrisno said, stressing the fact that the man is jobless and penniless.

According to the officer, his men only received a report on the incident from the girl's mother, Mariam, 38, on Saturday morning.

According to Mariam, Eva was found in serious condition by one of her relatives. Eva was involved in an intimate relationship with A, unemployed, and they had been living together for at least one year,

"It appears that Eva's parents were unhappy about the relationship since learning that A allegedly earns his living by selling drugs," officer Sutrisno said.

"Mariam said that she and other family members had already tried their best to separate the couple," he said.

Sutrisno added that members of the victim's family had discovered that several things were missing from the house and they suspected that these were stolen by A.

"That accusation aggravated the relationship between Eva's family and A, and this appears also to have affected Eva's relationship with him," he said.

This acrimonious situation might have driven A to take desperate action by dousing Eva with the corrosive liquid.

"She is now being treated at the Hospital for serious blisters on her face and body," Sutrisno said. (06)