Man pours acid on his roommate in Coimbatore

COIMBATORE: A man poured acid on his roommate over a money dispute near R S Puram in Coimbatore on Friday.The victim has been identified as A Ramachandran, 39, of Palakkad in Kerala. He has been living in Shukrawarpet near R S Puram and working at a jewellery workshop. The suspect, Biju, also from Kerala, worked with him as a goldsmith and shared the room with him.According to police, the two men consumed alcohol in their room on Thursday night and later went to a nearby eatery for dinner. After having food, Biju allegedly left the eatery without paying the bill, forcing Ramachandran to pay the full amount.When they returned to their accommodation, an argument broke out between them. Biju left the room and returned around 12.30am on Friday. He allegedly brought sulfuric acid, commonly used in jewellery making, and poured it on Ramachandran while he was asleep. He fled the scene after poring acid on Ramachandran. On hearing Ramachandran’s screams, neighbours rushed to the room and took him to Coimbatore Medical College Hospital. The R S Puram police registered a case and launched a manhunt to arrest Biju, who was absconding.