A 30-year-old teacher was allegedly stabbed to death by a man accused of stalking her after he reportedly dragged her out of a classroom at a private school in Faridabad, India on Monday.
The incident, which took place at Saraswati Senior Secondary School in Sikrona, was captured on CCTV and witnessed by several students on the campus, according to HT.
The victim, identified as Sandhya Karhana, taught Class 2 students at the school and was a resident of Firozpur Kalan. She is survived by her husband and two children, the report stated.
Police said the accused, 21-year-old Amit, entered the school premises through the main gate at around 9.35 am while covering his face with a white cloth. According to officials, the security guard was not present at the entrance at the time, allowing him to enter the school without being stopped.
The report said Karhana had arrived at the school at about 7.30 am and was conducting a class when the accused allegedly approached two students and a staff member, asking them to call her outside on the pretext that her husband had come to see her. Witnesses told police that the accused was aware of her husband’s name.
At the time of the attack, around 300 to 350 students from Classes 1 to 12 were present on the school premises. Many students reportedly saw the incident from their classroom windows as it unfolded.
A senior police officer said the accused allegedly attacked Karhana with a knife, stabbing her at least 25 times on her neck, chest and abdomen. The officer added that the assault lasted only around 30 to 40 seconds and was fully recorded by CCTV cameras, according to the report.
School director Tejpal Sharma, who witnessed the incident, said he rushed out of his office after hearing screams. He said he initially believed someone had suffered an electric shock due to the rain, but after stepping outside, he saw the accused repeatedly attacking Sandhya.
Sharma said he tried to stop the attacker, but the accused allegedly turned towards him and attempted to stab him as well. He added that he ran inside to bring a stick and raised an alarm, but by the time he returned, the suspect had fled, the report said.
Karhana was taken to Al-Falah Medical College and Hospital, where doctors declared her dead upon arrival, Sharma said.
Police registered a case under Section 103(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which relates to murder, at Sector 58 police station. Faridabad police spokesperson Yashpal Yadav said crime branch teams arrested Amit by 11.30 am from Kot village. Police said he was still wearing the blood-stained clothes allegedly worn during the attack.
Yadav said the accused had not changed his clothes after the incident and claimed that his behaviour, including stretching himself shortly before the attack, suggested that the crime had been planned in advance.
Investigators identified Amit as someone who allegedly knew Karhana from the time she worked at a private school in his native Kot village around two years ago. Citing an investigator, the report said he allegedly began stalking her after that period, following which she cut off contact and recently warned him that she would report him to police if the harassment continued.
Yadav said Karhana’s husband had also alleged that Amit had been stalking and harassing her for several months.
Police said the accused would be produced before a court on Tuesday, where they would seek his custodial remand for further questioning. Following the postmortem examination, Karhana’s body was handed over to her family, according to the report.
