Mohali teen set ablaze, man arrested after sanitiser attack

A man was arrested after allegedly pouring sanitiser on a 16-year-old girl and setting her ablaze in Punjab's Mohali. The teenager is battling serious burns as police probe the case under POCSO and other sections.Man has been arrested for allegedly pouring sanitiser on a 16-year-old girl and setting her on fire in Punjab's Mohali (Photo-ITG)A man has been arrested for allegedly pouring sanitiser on a 16-year-old girl and setting her on fire in Punjab's Mohali, police said on Saturday. The girl has been admitted to hospital with serious burn injuries.Police said the accused, Deepak, who is stated to be in his early 20s, was arrested after the incident on Friday. The girl's statement has been recorded at the Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research in Chandigarh in the presence of doctors, officials said.According to the FIR, the girl told police that she was on her way to her grandmother's house in Mohali on Friday morning when the accused pulled her into his house. She said the two spoke there for 10 to 15 minutes.The FIR said the girl's grandmother and father then reached the accused's house looking for her. It said a heated argument followed, during which the girl's father slapped the accused. Police said that after some time, Deepak and some of his family members came to the girl's house, where a fight broke out between the two families. The FIR said that Deepak, holding a plastic bottle containing a liquid, followed the girl to the upper floor of her house, poured the liquid on her and set her ablaze.According to the FIR, Deepak had locked the room from inside. After the girl opened the door, her father poured water on her before taking her to hospital. She was first taken to a government hospital in Mohali and later referred to PGIMER because of the seriousness of her burns. Based on the girl's statement, police have registered a case under sections 109, 74, 331 and 124(1), along with relevant provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act. Further investigation is under way, police said.Police said the accused has been arrested in connection with the Mohali incident, in which the teenager suffered serious burns and is undergoing treatment in hospital.- EndsPublished By: India Today Web Desk Published On: Aug 23, 2026 06:39 IST