A young woman has told of a terrifying acid attack on her 21st birthday that left her hospitalized and her cousin in a coma.
Resham Khan said she was in a car traveling through Beckton, East London, on June 21 when the horrific incident occurred.
Khan tweeted: “On my actual birthday, my cousin and I went for a drive in the morning, blasting music and chilling like cousins do, hyping it as I WAS 21.”
But out of nowhere, she said, a man approached the car as they waited at a traffic light and threw a liquid at her through the open window.
Khan, who said she had just returned from a year exchange in Cyprus, told how the assailant ran around to the other side and threw more over her cousin.
She said: “The pain was excruciating, I was struggling to close the window. My cousin struggled to get us away. I saw my clothes burn away in front of me.
“He put his foot down as we were coming onto a dual carriageway but the pain took over and we crashed.
“We stripped off in the middle of the road, running around screaming and begging for water.
“We did this for 45 minutes.”
Khan said another driver eventually stopped and drove the pair to a hospital, before they were transferred to a specialist unit.
She continued: “I have had a skin graft, they are waiting on what my face will actually look like. And I have burns across my body.
“My cousin was put into a coma as his burns were worst.
“He has been woken up and I’m waiting to be told I’m no longer bedbound to visit him.”
Khan added: “I’m devastated. I keep wondering if my life will ever be the same. Acid attacks in the UK are unheard of for me.”
Modal Trigger
GoFundMe
“My 21st birthday … Just got back to the country. And now I’ll probably never look the same.
“I am so grateful to everyone that has prayed for me. I feel as though I’m blessed to have my limbs and senses. But I loved my face and body.
“I just want this guy caught.”
One of Khan’s student pals has set up a GoFundMe page to raise cash to support them in their long recovery.
Daniel Mann said his friend and her cousin, whom he identified as Jameel Muhktar, have had to put their lives on hold since the shocking attack.
He wrote: “Resham is usually a very confident young woman. She was preparing to open her own business over the summer, and had plans to model for Asian bridal, makeup and hair artists.
“But now she feels as though her identity has been stolen from her, on her 21st birthday.”
Khan said she had made a full statement to police, adding that one officer told her he was “certain [the attacker] will be found and sent away for a long time.”
A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police told Sun Online: “Police were called at approximately 9:15 a.m. on Thursday, 21 June to reports that two occupants of a car had been sprayed with a corrosive substance.
“The occupants, a man aged 37 and a woman aged 21, were assisted by members of the public and had been taken to an east London hospital prior to the arrival of police and the London Ambulance Service.
“Both victims have suffered burn injuries described as life-changing.
“It is believed the victims were inside a parked car when a man approached and threw a corrosive substance through the open window.
“The car made off pursued by the suspect on foot before it collided with a fence. The suspect made off.
“Officers from Newham and the Met’s Territorial Support Group executed a warrant at an address in E16 on the afternoon of [June 21] in connection with the incident. There were no arrests; inquiries continue.”
FILED UNDER ATTACKS , COMA , LONDON ,