Chennai Man Tries to Slit Teen’s Throat, Arrested

Image used for representational purposes. Stalking is a crime.

(Photo: iStock)

In a growing list of stalker attacks in Tamil Nadu, a 23-year-old man in Chennai attacked a 17-year-old college student. On 16 April, the accused, Solomon Raja, stopped the victim on her way back home from college in Ayanavaram and tried to slit her throat with a blade. The teenager fought back, injuring her right hand in the process.

An investigating officer told TNM: “He claims to have known her from a young age. When she told him to back off, he couldn’t handle it. He repeatedly threatened her saying he will commit suicide if she doesn’t go out with him.”

The police say that the teen had made it clear to him that she wanted nothing to do with him. 

“This enraged him. He said if I don’t get to be with you, no one else should either. And then he tried to slit her throat with a blade. He is telling us that they had known each other from childhood and that she is his friend. He doesn’t understand why she cut him off so suddenly,” the officer said.

The teen was treated for her wounds at a private hospital in the city on Tuesday and was later discharged. The attacker Solomon Raja has been booked for attempt to murder and harassment. He has been remanded in judicial custody.

The latest attack comes over a month after Aswini, a BCom student at the Meenakshi Academy of Higher Education and Research in Chennai, was stabbed to death by her stalker. The case shocked the city as it not only took place in broad daylight but also highlighted the failure of the police for not acting on previous complaints by Aswini.

In 2016, Swathi, a Chennai techie, who was waiting at the Nungambakkam railway station was hacked to death by her stalker, Ramkumar. While Ramkumar later committed suicide in prison, the murder isent shockwaves across the city and helped bring into focus the issue of women’s safety.

(The article was published in an arrangement with The News Minute. The Quint has launched a petition to make stalking a non-bailable offence. Sign our petition here.)

(The Quint is now on WhatsApp. To receive handpicked stories on topics you care about, subscribe to our WhatsApp services. Just go to TheQuint.com/WhatsApp and hit send.)