Kannur: Ashkar Mampallil, accused in an acid attack case, died by suicide at his residence on Saturday night. A lab employee at the Thaliparamaba Sir Syed College of Kannur, Ashkar slit his throat and bled to death. Though the 52-year-old was rushed to Government Medical College in Pariyaram by his family, he succumbed to the injuries at the hospital, said Thaliparamba police.

It was on March 13 that Ashkar threw acid on K Sahida (46), an employee of the First Class Magistrate Court, in Thaliparamaba town. Sahida suffered serious burns on her face and other parts of the body. She was attacked while she was returning home in the evening. The accused approached her, spoke to her briefly, and sprayed the acid on her face. He then threw the acid bottle at her, causing serious burn injuries. Two others also suffered burns in the incident.

People in the area caught Ashkar immediately and handed him over to the police. He too had suffered burn injuries in the incident.