Stalker assaults student in Junnar, ends life

Pune: A 22-year-old youth, who allegedly assaulted a 19-year-old college student with a sharp weapon in Junnar on Wednesday morning for rejecting his marriage proposal, was later found dead, hanging from a tree on a hillock near the town.The student suffered serious injuries. "She was shifted to Yashwantrao Chavan Memorial Hospital (YCMH) in Pimpri. Her condition is stable," inspector Kiran Awachar of the Junnar police said.The officer said the student, a resident of a village in Junnar taluka, resides in a state govt-run ladies' hostel in the area. "The accused was also from the same village. He had allegedly been stalking the student for the past few months and pressuring her to marry him."On Wednesday, around 9.30 am, when the student stepped out of her hostel and was on her way to college, the accused stopped her and attacked her with a sharp weapon," the officer said.Awachar said the accused fled the spot after the assault. The student was initially taken to a nearby hospital and later shifted to YCMH.Meanwhile, the police registered a case of attempted murder against the accused and launched a search for him. The local crime branch also joined the investigation. "CCTV footage showed the accused's motorcycle in the Ganeshkhind area of Junnar taluka," Awachar said.Police teams then conducted a search operation on a nearby hillock, where they first found the accused's motorcycle. His body was later discovered hanging from a tree. "A case of accidental death has been registered with the Otur police," he said.Awachar said preliminary investigation indicates that the accused attacked the student after she rejected his marriage proposal. "After the attack, he went to the Ganeshkhind area and ended his life," Awachar added.