Berhampur, Sept. 6: Last night a man from Dimiriguda village, in Phiringia police limits of Kandhamal district, allegedly poured acid on his wife's private parts as he thought she was not faithful to him.

The victim was asleep when her husband poured acid on her. The couple, both labourers, have a son and a daughter. This afternoon, police have arrested the accused.

Immediately after the incident,the victim's son took her to the Phiringia primary health centre.

Later, she was shifted to the district headquarters hospital at Phulbani. At present, the victim's son and his wife are attending to the victim, whose condition remains critical.

"After committing the crime, the accused had fled from the spot. He was hiding in a maize field. We found him near a bus stop. He was planning to escape," said inspector in-charge of Phiringia police station Dhirendra Kumar Behera.

Behera said the accused was addicted to alcohol and he allegedly tried to kill his wife by pushing her into a well a few days ago. He had been arrested twice in liquor cases, Behera added.

The victim's son, who registered a complaint with the police today, said his parents had an argument before they went to sleep last night.

"Both of them quarrelled on Monday night before they went to sleep. My father was in an inebriated state. I do not know from where he got the acid," said the victim's son.

The police formed two teams to arrest the accused after the doctors from the district headquarters hospital informed them about the incident.

Officers searched Mala village, where the victim's daughter resided. The accused was later nabbed from Phiringia after a source tipped off the cops about him, Behera said.