Man dressed up as Santa throws acid on woman, held

Kannur: A man dressed up as Santa allegedly threw acid on a 47-year-old woman and her minor son, seriously injuring the both of them on Christmas eve here.

The man, identified as James Antony, was arrested here today, police said, adding that he was upset that the woman, a divorcee, was not responding to his romantic overtures.

The woman, who is on ventilator support, has lost her eyesight while her seven-year-old son, too, is in the Intensive Care Unit.

The duo are undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Mangaluru in neighbouring Karnataka, police said.

Along with her father, the woman and her son were headed to a nearby church on December 24 when Antony attacked them dressed as Santa after he had waited for them, police said.