CHENNAI: A 20-year-old woman was stabbed to death in broad daylight near Tambaram railway station on Thursday, allegedly by a man with whom she had ended a three-year relationship. Police said the assailant subsequently attempted to kill himself but was stopped by members of the public.
The deceased was identified as M Swetha from Chrompet, a second-year student of Medical Laboratory Technology at the Madras Christian College's School of Continuing Education.
The assailant, identified as Ramachandran, a native of Tirukkuvalai in Nagapattinam district, has been admitted to the Rajiv Gandhi Government Hospital after injuring himself, police said. He worked at a private manufacturing unit in Maraimalai Nagar on the outskirts of Chennai.
According to police, Swetha and Ramachandran had been in a relationship for three years. A senior police official said inquiry revealed Swetha had ended the relationship. "The man had called her to speak about the issue," the official said.
Police said Ramachandran asked Swetha to meet at the spot after her class ended. They met near the railway station and walked to the railway quarters nearby. Police, quoting eyewitnesses, said Ramachandran had a heated conversation with the woman and, after a while, pulled out a kitchen knife he had hidden and stabbed Swetha in the throat.
As passers-by raised an alarm, Ramachandran cut his own throat. “While the attempt inflicted damage on his neck, the public nabbed the man and informed police,” said a police officer.
The ambulance crew that arrived declared Swetha dead while Ramachandran was rushed to the hospital. The Selaiyur police have registered a case and further investigations are on.