‘Jilted lover’ stabs teenager to death

Ranjitha was not responding to the overtures of Yogesh and had filed a police complaint

A youth stabbed a girl to death allegedly because she did not respond to his love, at Kadekar village in Malpe police station limits on Wednesday.

Yogish (27), who worked as an electrician, was wooing Ranjitha S. (19), a second year B.A. student of G. Shankar Government First Grade College here. But she did not respond to Yogish, who was also her relative.

At around 9.45 a.m. on Wednesday, Ranjitha went to her relative and classmate Ashwini’s house nearby and was talking to her, when Yogish, whose house was next to Ashwini’s, came from behind and stabbed her with a knife. Ms. Ashwini told the police that things happened so suddenly that she was taken aback.

Ranjitha was rushed to the District Government Hospital, where she was pronounced brought dead. Meanwhile, Yogish fled from the scene on a bicycle after committing the crime, and is absconding.

The knife used in the crime and one of Ranjitha’s slippers were lying in courtyard of Ms. Ashwini’s house, while Ranjitha’s mobile telephone was found lying a little distance away.

According to a complaint lodged by Ms. Ashwini with the Malpe police, Yogish used to tease Ranjitha while going and coming from college. He intended to marry her (Ranjitha). But Ranjitha’s parents had objected to it and had warned him several times against troubling their daughter. Hence out of hatred, he had murdered Ranjitha, she said.

Nataraj, Ranjitha’s maternal uncle, said that Yogish was chasing Ranjitha for about a year. Ranjitha and her parents had complained to the Superintendent of Police (SP) M.B. Boralingaiah and the Malpe police about Yogish and sought action against him. The Malpe police had even got a written statement from Yogish that he would not disturb Ranjitha.

Mr. Boralingaiah told The Hindu that the girl’s relatives had approached him on this issue. He had sent them to the Sub Inspector (SI) of Malpe police station M. Jayanth and told the latter to take action on the matter. Mr. Jayanth had called Yogish to the police station and warned him.

Mr. Jayanth had told the SP that the girl’s relatives were not ready to file any FIR against Yogesh. They just wanted the police to warn Yogish. “I have directed the Deputy Superintendent of Police Prabhudeva Mane to investigate the action taken by Mr. Jayanth and give a report,” he said.

Three teams of policemen were searching for Yogesh, Mr. Boralingaiah said.