Nashik: A 20-year-old woman was stabbed to death by a 26-year-old man, who was later found hanging from a tree in the same locality, in what police suspect to be a case of murder-suicide in Maharashtra's Nashik, officials said on Saturday.
According to the police, the accused, identified as Sahil Ashok Lavare, attacked and killed the victim, Vaishnavi Avare, near a temple in the Indiranagar area late on Friday night before allegedly dying by suicide at a jogging track in the locality during the early hours of Saturday.
Officials said the accused allegedly stabbed the woman multiple times and also slit her throat with a knife. Residents rushed to the spot after hearing the victim's screams, but by the time they reached the scene, the accused had managed to flee.
Police said the woman succumbed to her injuries at the spot before she could receive medical assistance.
A few hours later, at around 3 A.M., the accused was found hanging from a tree at the jogging track in the Indiranagar area. Police suspect that he died by suicide after allegedly committing the murder.
According to officials, the victim was a student and had been living as a paying guest in the locality.
Preliminary investigation indicates that the victim and the accused had met on Friday evening before the incident took place. Investigators initially suspected that the attack may have been triggered by a one-sided love affair.
However, further investigation has revealed that Sahil Lavare and Vaishnavi Avare had allegedly been in a live-in relationship for nearly two years. According to the preliminary findings, the accused allegedly attacked the woman after she refused to marry him.
Police suspect that after allegedly murdering Vaishnavi, Sahil went to the Indiranagar jogging track complex, where he allegedly died by suicide by hanging himself from a tree.
Officials have registered a case of murder and launched a detailed investigation to ascertain the exact sequence of events and establish the precise motive behind the crime.
Police said further investigation into the incident is underway.
--IANS
