CHIDAMBARAM: A 16-year-old schoolgirl is battling for her life after she was allegedly stabbed in the neck by a person whose marriage proposal she had repeatedly spurned, police said.
Meanwhile, the accused, identified as Iyappan, 27, died by suicide on Monday.
The incident occurred on Sunday at the victim's residence in Keezhamoongiladi village in Cuddalore district.
Iyappan used to frequent the house of a Class 11 student for electrical repair work, during which he developed an infatuation for her. He had approached the minor multiple times, but she had consistently rejected his proposals, a police official said.
Exploiting the absence of the girl's mother, who had left for her job at a textile shop, Iyappan entered the house on Sunday knowing the teenager was alone. When she turned him down once again, he attacked her with a knife, inflicting a deep wound on her neck before fleeing the spot.
Alerted by the teenager's cries, neighbours rushed to the house and summoned an ambulance. She was taken to the Chidambaram Government Hospital, where doctors stated her condition is critical.
After registering a case, the Chidambaram Taluk police launched a manhunt for the absconding accused, only to find that he had taken his own life at his home in the meantime. "We could not find any suicide note at the scene," a senior police official said.