A 20-year-old woman was attacked by a man allegedly after his advances were spurned by her, at Thomson street under One Town police station limits in the city on Wednesday.
The youth reportedly tried to end his life by slitting his throat after inflicting injuries on the woman with a blade.
The woman was identified as M. Sai Eswara Priyanka (20), a ward volunteer from One Town. She was immediately shifted to King George Hospital, where her condition is said to be stable.
The attacker was identified as A. Srikanth (23), a resident of Thomson street and a welder by profession. He too was shifted to hospital, and his condition is also said to be stable.
Addressing a press conference at the Police Conference Hall here in Visakhapatnam, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Law & Order-I) Aishwarya Rastogi said that both the families of the woman and her attacker are neighbours for the last 25 years and are known each other. Sometime ago, the man had proposed to Priyanka, and subsequently, his parents approached Priyanka’s family seeking her hand in marriage. However, Priyanka’s family turned down their proposal.
Mr. Rastogi said that as per preliminary investigation, the accused entered Priyanka’s house when she was alone at around 8.45 a.m. and attacked her with a blade.
Based on a complaint lodged by Priyanka’s mother, police registered a complaint under Sections 307, 452, 354-A, 354-D and 309 of the IPC.
“Surgery was successfully performed on the woman and she is stable. Once she recovers, we will record her statement. Meanwhile, the accused is also undergoing treatment. Action will be initiated based on the progress of recovery,” Mr. Rastogi said.
The incident comes just a month after an Intermediate student was murdered by a youth for spurning his advances. The incident, which occurred on November 1 at Sri Nagar Colony in Gajuwaka, sent shockwaves across the city. Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy condemned the incident and Home Minister M. Sucharitha assured a swift investigation into the incident. The attack prompted the city police into launching an awareness programme titled ‘Neti Yuvathe Repati Pourulu’ at schools and colleges.
Police said that such attacks would not go unspared and strict action will be initiated against the culprits. The DCP also appealed to the parents to approach them for counselling if they find their children going astray.
