Police are on the lookout for a suspect who injured his 18-month-old son in an attempted acid attack on his wife in Kandal province on Monday.

Men Sokhoeun, Kandal province’s Khsach Kandal district police chief, said the suspect was a 22-year-old man, while his wife was 19.

“The victim’s condition is better after receiving treatment. The acid was not strong. It only caused red spots on the child’s face. Police are on the lookout for the suspect,” he said.

Sokhoeun said that according to the family of the intended victim, the suspect was living with his wife before the incident. He said they were known to often quarrel after getting married and that the husband was known to have physically abused his wife.

He said the couple had had an argument before the incident, with the suspect angry after his wife had requested a divorce.

The suspect later called and asked to meet his wife but she refused. Sokhoeun said that at around 7pm on Monday, the wife, who was carrying her son, was walking with a friend to buy dinner. The suspect approached them on a motorbike and attempted to hit his wife with the acid, but he missed and instead hit his 18-month-old son, Sokhoeun said.