Suryagayathri, the 20-year old woman, who was stabbed by a man near Nedumangad a day ago, succumbed to her injuries during the early hours of Tuesday.
The Vanda native, who has been residing in a rented house in Uzhappakonam was allegedly attacked by 28-year old Arun of Peyad who barged into the house around 2.30 p.m. on Monday. He purportedly stabbed her 15 times in her stomach, neck and other body parts using a knife.
Her differently-abled mother, Valsala, 52, was also injured while she attempted to prevent the attack. The perpetrator too had sustained cuts on a finger in the melee. Following the incident, he made a futile attempt to escape, but was soon apprehended by the victim’s neighbours as he reached their terrace.
Despite undergoing emergency surgery at the Government Medical College Hospital here, Suryagayathri succumbed to her grievous injuries.
According to her father Sivadas, the family had rejected a proposal from Arun four years ago after they got wind of his anti-social activities. Incensed by their decision, he had allegedly snatched Suryagayathri’s mobile phone and a necklace. The issue was then settled after the Aryanad police booked the accused.
The victim, who then married a Kollam native, was living separated from her husband for nearly six months. While her parents claimed they had no contact with the accused for four years, it was yet to be ascertained whether he had re-established contact with the victim recently, District Police Chief (Thiruvananthapuram Rural) P.K. Madhu said.
Arun who has been booked for murder has been arrested by the Valiyamala police and remanded to judicial custody. The body of the deceased was handed over to her family after post-mortem. The family used to earn a living by selling tickets for which Suryagayathri used to accompany Valsala on the latter’s tricycle.
