Thoothukudi: A 24-year-old schoolteacher died after she was attacked with a sickle inside a church in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu.
Francina died of her wounds in the Thoothukudi Government Medical College Hospital.
She was attacked by a man believed to be in late 20s when she was praying inside St. Peter’s Church on Santhai Road in Thoothukudi on August 31.
The incident occurred around 8:30 a.m. when Francina was praying in the church near the school where she worked as a teacher, sources said.
The man attacked her, reportedly with an aruval, and fled the scene. The woman was severely wounded on her head and shoulders.
A parishioner told The Hindu that he saw a person sporting a red-colored T-shirt running out the church after the incident.
Thoothukudi South station policemen inspected the scene of crime. CCTV cameras installed at two places inside the church gave clues to the police and when the police zeroed in on the attacker, he was found hanging at his residence on Marakudi Street.
The culprit, identified as J. Keegan (27), had stalked the victim for the past six months. He is believed to have taken the extreme step as Francina rejected his proposal, say police sources.
The victim, a resident of Indira Nagar on George Road, was about to get married in September first week. She was about to get relieved from the school on this day, the sources added.
Police are yet to file a case.