A 23-year-old Bulgarian woman sustained severe burns on her face and lower body after a man threw sulfuric acid on her in Varanasi on Friday for turning down his proposal for marriage.

The attacker, Siddharth Srivastava (25), has been arrested by the police.  reported The Times of India. 

The victim, Prokina Darya Yurieva, had come to India on a spiritual tour three days ago and was living in a home-stay run by Siddhartha's family, states the report. Siddhartha is a former student of performing arts at Banaras Hindu University (BHU).

Yurieva was admitted to the Sir Sunderlal Hospital at BHU with 40% burns. "She sustained serious eye injuries. The next 72 hours will be very critical. A plastic surgeon has also examined her. We are giving her the best possible treatment," said Dr KK Gupta, chief medical superintendent of Sir Sunderlal Hospital, told Hindustan Times.

According to HT, the woman had previously stayed at the Srivastavas' homestay for three months during an earlier visit. She told the police that Siddhartha threw acid on her face around 4 am on Friday when she was sleeping.