CHENNAI: A 21-year-old construction labourer allegedly murdered his ex-employer’s daughter at her house in Mamallapuram after stalking her for several days. J Lavanya (17), a class 11 student, died without responding to treatment at a private hospital on Thursday evening. A hunt has been launched to find the suspect identified as Durga Rao (21) of Andhra Pradesh. According to the police, Lavanya’s father Jeyaraj of Pattipulam was a mason and Durga Rao of Vizianagaram was working under him.
“Lavanya used to interact with Durga Rao whenever she visited her father at the worksite. He is said to have mistaken Lavanya’s casual talks for love and proposed to her. While Lavanya turned down his proposal, Rao continued to stalk her,” said a police officer. Four months ago, he had asked Jeyaraj if he can get married to his daughter and allegedly threatened to kidnap Lavanya when Jeyaraj rejected the offer.
“Jeyaraj denied work to Durga Rao and sent him back to Andhra. Jeyaraj also stopped sending his daughter to school after constant threat from Durga. Durga Rao returned to Mamallapuram a few days ago attempted to meet Lavanya,” said a police officer.
On Thursday afternoon, he entered the house when she was alone and asked her to come with him. When Lavanya refused, he stabbed her several times with a knife and fled. Hearing her cries for help, neighbours rushed her to a private hospital in Kelambakkam where she died a few hours later. Mamallapuram police registered a case and have launched a hunt for Durga Rao.
17-year-old girl fall from terrace, survives
Chennai: A 17-year-old girl suffered a fractured leg after she slipped and fell from the terrace of her house in Triplicane on Wednesday night, while talking on the mobile phone. Police said Madhumitha of Canal Road had completed class 12 and will go to college next year. She stays in a two-storeyed building. Around 10 pm, she was talking on the phone while sitting on the terrace railing. She slipped and fell on a two-wheeler and fractured a leg, police said. Neighbours rushed her to Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital. Anna Square police is investigating. This comes barely a fortnight after an eight-month-old girl survived a fall from the fifth-floor balcony of a house in Sowcarpet.