Chandigarh, Feb 24: A 22-year-old Panjab University student was allegedly murdered in Fragrance Garden, Sector 36, on Sunday night after she reportedly declined a marriage proposal from a former acquaintance. The suspect, identified as Vinay Kumar, was apprehended by Chandigarh Police at the Sector 43 inter-state bus terminus on Monday afternoon while allegedly attempting to leave the city.
The victim, Suhani, a third-year BCom student and UPSC aspirant, had recently been engaged to a resident of Sector 56. According to investigators, Kumar had known the victim for approximately a year and had been consistently harassing her after her family rejected his marriage suit. Police officials stated that Suhani had distanced herself from the accused due to caste differences and her upcoming wedding.
On the night of the incident, the victim told her family she was visiting a local market to purchase chocolates for a dinner party. Instead, she met Kumar at the garden, where he allegedly attacked her with a knife, striking her in the neck before fleeing. Despite her injuries, the victim managed to answer a phone call from her mother and identify her attacker before losing consciousness.
“On the fourth attempt, Suhani allegedly answered and told her that Vinay had stabbed her at a park in Sector 36 and asked for help,” her mother, Anita, stated in her account to the police. A passerby eventually discovered the victim and alerted authorities, but she later succumbed to her injuries at the Government Multi Specialty Hospital in Sector 16.
Police have registered a murder case at the Sector 36 police station and affirmed the recovery of the weapon and blood-stained clothing from the scene. Officials noted that Kumar, a native of Bihar residing in Burail, was recently unemployed after previously working at a local sweet shop.
Suhani’s family, originally from Uttar Pradesh, described her as an ambitious woman who worked at a clinic in Sector 22 to fund her education while preparing for civil services exams. Her father, Mahesh Kumar, maintained that his daughter was a hardworking individual dedicated to supporting her family and her professional goals.
The incident has drawn comparisons to previous cases of violence in the city’s public parks. Law enforcement officials affirmed that the accused will be produced in court on Tuesday as the investigation continues.
