Tamil Nadu special battalion cop shoots girlfriend dead on her birthday, kills self

Her dream of serving the poor as a doctor and his dream to see her as a doctor had been shattered in one night, the grieving father said. 
Image for representational purpose only.
Image for representational purpose only.

VILLUPURAM: A special battalion cop, posted on VVIP escort duty in Chennai, allegedly shot dead his girlfriend in the wee hours of Wednesday at her parents’ house in Anniyur near Gingee, Villupuram. He then allegedly ended his by the same pistol. Preliminary inquiries revealed that the pistol was his service weapon. 

S Karthivel (23), of Kattupalayam village, Erode district, was a special force 15th battalion policeman currently posted in Chennai. Police said he had been in a relationship with the victim, Saraswati (23). Saraswati was a third-year MBBS student at a private medical college in Chennai. She and Karthivel had met in 2015 when she joined a private nursing college.

The couple reportedly had the blessings of their parents. After Saraswathi joined the medical college in 2016, she became busy with her studies. This reportedly led to frequent arguments. Six months ago, the couple is said to have argued over Saraswati’s friendship with a classmate and they stopped talking to each other.

They had only reconciled a few days ago and both of them set off from Chennai to Anniyur on Tuesday by bike to celebrate Saraswati’s birthday by cutting the cake at midnight with her family. It was Saraswati’s father Seker, a farmer, who later found the couple dead in a pool of blood at 2 am.

Saraswati had reportedly cut the cake at midnight in the presence of Karthivel and her family. After that, Karthivel and Saraswathi were talking in the room, while Sekar was sitting in the hall. An argument reportedly broke out between them as the classmate over whom they had argued six months ago called to wish Saraswati. At 2 am, Sekar reportedly heard gun shots and rushed to the room. There, police said, he found Saraswati and Karthivel dead, with a pistol in the latter’s hand.

As family and neighbours gather, police in Kanjanur were alerted. Villupuram SP S Jeyakumar also came to the spot. The bodies were sent to the hospital for autopsy. After autopsy, they were handed over to the family. Kanjanur police filed a case and are investigating. The preliminary investigation reportedly revealed that Karthivel had been carrying his service pistol. Police said he shot Saraswati twice in the chest and shot himself in the head. Police said they were investigating if he usually carried his service pistol with him or if he had brought it to Anniyur on purpose. 

Speaking to media, Sekar said that Saraswati had aimed to be a doctor since she was a child and had wanted to serve the poor. She had gotten good marks in Class 12 and gotten a medical seat. He learned of their relationship and had accepted it, he said. “At midnight we celebrated her birthday happily and they were talking alone in room. Hearing the gunshots I rushed to the room and found them lying dead in a pool of blood,” he said. Her dream of serving the poor as a doctor and his dream to see her as a doctor had been shattered in one night, the grieving father said. 

Impulsive act or premeditated?
Cops said Karthivel used his service pistol to shoot Saraswati twice and then himself, Police are looking into if he always carried the pistol or brought it to Anniyur on purpose.

If you are in distress or have suicidal thoughts call the government health helpline at 104 or the Sneha Suicide Helpline at 044 24640050.

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The New Indian Express
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