TIRUMALA: In a gruesome incident, a Tamil NRI couple from Singapore were stabbed by an unidentified person near Akkagarla temple on the Alipiri - Tirumala pedestrian path on Wednesday morning. The condition of the couple, who sustained injuries on neck, was said to be out of danger.
The incident, which occurred around 5.30 am came as a rude shock to the other trekking devotees. The victims Govinda Thyagarajan (57) and his wife Latha (50) residing in Singapore for decades, landed in Bangalore International Airport, late Tuesday night and reached Tirupati on Wednesday morning at 4 am.
They began trekking the Tirumala Hills and reached near Akkagarla temple, where an unidentified youth aged around 25 years attacked them with a sharp knife and slashed their throats. He also stabbed the woman Latha on the lower abdomen.
After leaving the couple in a pool of blood, the miscreant ran away from the spot and mingled with other trekkers on the footpath far away from the spot. After hearing the screams of the couple, some of the trekkers at some distance rushed to the spot and alerted the ambulance, just 100 feet away from them. Later, the couple were shifted to SVR Ruia government hospital in Tirupati after administering first aid.
On examining the couple, paying medical attention and conducting surgeries for the injured neck and by performing another surgery to the woman for the injury in the abdomen, the doctors declared that the condition of the couple was out of danger.
Later, the police, who arrived at the hospital enquired the couple about the incident. “A 25-year old guy followed us from Alipiri itself. Though, we noticed him we did not expect such an incident,’’ the couple told the police.Though, the police showed them several photographs of mentally imbalanced persons and burglars, the couple could not identify the culprit and only revealed that he was wearing good clothes. The objective of the miscreant behind the attack was not known as he left the couple after stabbing them without touching any of their valuables. Though Thyagarajan was wearing at least 250 gms of gold ornaments and Latha was wearing at least 400 gms of gold ornaments and also having currency to the tune of about `2 lakh, the miscreant did not touch any of them.
Meanwhile, after learning about the incident, TTD Executive Officer MG Gopal went to the Ruia hospital and enquired about the health condition of the injured couple and also suggested the doctors to provided better treatment to them.
Gopal, expressing grief over the incident, said that they will further increase the security vigil on the footpath to curb such incidents.
Tirupati Urban SP SV Rajasekhar Babu, said that they have intensified the search operation for nabbing the accused. “We have already launched check ups in the bus station and railway station and also taking up searching operation in and around Tirumala,” he said.
Tirupati MLA M Venkataramana, too, went to the hospital and spoke to the victims and assured them all possible help.