Madurai: A 22-year-old was stabbed in the Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu when she came out of a church after New Year midnight Mass.
The victim, Anu Kenzie, a lecturer of a polytechnic college in Tirunnelveli district, is now undergoing treatment at a private hospital.
The attacker, Biju Castro, 27, had stalked the woman for several months seeking intimacy, police sources said.
The police said Biju used to constantly harass the woman, who repeatedly rebuffed his proposal. She had also a complaint against him at the Nithiraivilai police station. “We had picked Biju up for inquiries, but released him after severe warnings,” a police officer told The Times of India.
Biju tried to contact the woman again after he heard that her marriage was fixed for January 5.
According to the police official, Biju waited outside the church after he learned she was attending the midnight Mass on December 31. He confronted her when she came out of the church, but she rebuffed him again. He then stabbed her.
“Alhough he tried to escape, churchgoers managed to catch him. He was thrashed severely, before handed over to the police,” the officer added.
A case was registered and the accused was remanded in judicial custody.