Four young women suffered acid burns when a young man threw acid on his wife at a slum at Tejgaon in the city yesterday.

The victims were Asma Khatun, 20, Nazma, 25, Lilly, 22, and Nilufar, 18. They suffered burns as the three tried to save Asma from the wrath of her husband at the Babli jheel slum in Tejgaon industrial area in the early hours of yesterday. The three shared a room with Asma in the slum. In another incident at Pagla, Narayanganj, a housewife, Rahima Bibi suffered acid burns when her husband threw acid on her late Tuesday night, our correspondent reported.

All the five injured women were taken to the Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH).

Asma suffered burn injuries in her hands and Nazma, Lily and Nilufar on faces. Lily was released yesterday afternoon after treatment.

The condition of Rahima Bibi, 45, was stated to be critical.

"My husband started quarreling with me as soon as he came to the house at about midnight. At one stage he started beating me without any reason," police quoted Asma as saying.

At one stage, Asma and her roommates forced her husband, Shahidul, 25, a day labourer, to get out of the room. Shahidul left.

"All of a sudden, he brought a bottle and threw a water-like substance on me," said Asma. The three others were also injured while trying to save Asma. Shahidul fled the scene immediately.

Shahidul used to stay at Asma's house occasionally. Their two-year-old son, Bulbul, was looked after by his grand-mother in Kapasia.

Asma filed a case with Tejgaon thana. However, none was arrested in connection with the incident till last night.

Home Minister Rafiqul Islam visited the victims at the DMCH yesterday afternoon.

Rahima Bibi was injured when acid was thrown on her allegedly by her husband Shahjahan and son-in-law Nazrul.

Police arrested both the persons immediately after the incident.

Police said, Rahima, first wife of Shahjahan, had started living separately at a thatched house at Nayamati, Pagla under Fatulla thana after he went for a second marriage about two months back.

The acid was thrown when she was asleep at her house.

Mostafa, a son of Rahima, lodged a case with Fatulla thana yesterday in connection with the incident.