A pizza delivery driver who was attacked with acid has been left “fighting for his life” and may lose his sight in both eyes, police have said.
Muhammed Nawshad Kamal, 32, who was working in the Walthamstow area of east London, was approached last week by two people on a scooter who tried to steal his moped and threw acid in his face “repeatedly”.
“This attack has left a man fighting for his life and with terrible eye injuries,” Detective Chief Inspector Gordon Henderson said.
“This was an innocent man going about his work as a delivery driver, who may never see again.”
The Independent reported that police have arrested a 14-year-old on suspicion of committing grievous bodily harm.
Delivery drivers have complained about a lack of protection from acid attacks after being repeatedly targeted.
Investigators have warned corrosive substances are being used as an alternative weapon by robbers, who have also used them on pedestrians to steal phones.
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A spate of attacks with corrosive substances has fuelled a rise in violent crime across England and Wales in the past year, with recorded offences up 13 per cent.
In July, Resham Khan and her cousin Jameel Mukhtar suffered an acid attack on her 21st birthday, disfiguring both of them, and leaving Jameel Mukhtar paralysed for life.
Six people were injured on September 23 — with their injuries “not life-threatening or life-changing” — after a group of males reportedly sprayed a noxious substance in a number of attacks near a shopping centre in east London, police said.
Earlier, at least three people received minor injuries in the wake of a suspected acid attack on revellers at Notting Hill Carnival in London in late August.
The Government has responded with stricter controls on the sale of acid and a law making it illegal to carry acid in a public place without a good reason.
