Fear grips settlement after alleged acid attack on teen

Residents of Lautoka’s Wairabetia Settlement say they are living in terror after a 15-year-old was allegedly burned in a horrific attack on Monday night.

With about 70 houses in Wairabetia, several neighbours said they were afraid to speak publicly because they feared retaliation from those responsible.

One resident, who asked not to be named, said people had previously been threatened after reporting suspected drug activities in the area.

“There was a family who reported drug activities before, and the people involved tormented and threatened them,” the resident said.

“That is why many of us are scared to speak. We fear we might be the next target.”

Residents claim the area becomes unsafe in the evenings and at night.

“This place is very dangerous. It is not safe for us to walk on the road in the evenings,” another neighbour said.

“There are many drug cases happening here, and we are worried about our children.”

Residents are now calling for stronger Police presence.

“There should be a police post here so Police can provide security and help make this place drug-free.”

The concerns come after 15-year-old Isaia Manukiwai was allegedly attacked and severely burned on Monday night.

The boy, who lives in Wairabetia, had been at a mosque near his home during the evening meal while observing the fasting period when two youths, believed to be his friends, called him outside.

They walked with Isaia from the mosque but later left him near a bus shelter.

While walking home alone, someone allegedly approached him from behind near the bus shelter and poured a hot liquid over his body.

The teenager was rushed to Lautoka Hospital, where he was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit with second-degree burns.

His grandmother, Fatima Bibi, believes the injuries suggest something more severe than boiling water.

“It is circulating that boiling water was poured on him, but it wasn’t boiling water,” she said.

“The clothes he was wearing had a strong chemical smell. The way his body was looked burned, it looked like acid.”

Ms Bibi said the family was devastated by the attack.

“It was an inhumane thing that they did to my grandson. I raised him since he was a baby, and now I cannot bear to see him in this condition.”

“He cannot even speak properly now because of the pain,” she said.

While a Fiji Sun reporter was at the victim’s home, Police officers arrived and collected the clothes the boy was wearing during the attack as part of their investigation.

Police spokesperson Ana Naisoro confirmed a report had been received and investigations were continuing.