Man kills girlfriend before attempting suicide

Suspecting the 'character' of his girlfriend, a 24-year-old man allegedly strangled her to death at a hotel in Santacruz here before trying to commit suicide by jumping before a running truck, police said on Sunday.

The incident took place on Saturday.

The accused, Vijay Kumar Harijan, who suffered fractures in his leg during his suicide bid and was admitted to a hospital, has been booked by the Vakola police for the alleged murder, an official said.

"The accused and his girlfriend, Sandhya Harijan (22), had checked into Kishish Kunj Hotel located on Golibar Road in Santacruz East at 1.30 pm," the official said.

"Sandhya and Vijay Kumar, both residents of Darukhana area of Reay Road in Mumbai, were supposed to get married soon. However, the latter suspected Sandhya's character and thought that there was somebody else in her life. Therefore, he decided to eliminate her," he said.

At the hotel room on Saturday, the accused strangled the victim to death with a rope. Thereafter, he leaving her body behind, he went to Sewri to kill himself, he added.

In the evening, when the hotel staff repeatedly knocked on the door of the room, there was no response from inside. Suspecting something amiss, the staff opened the door using a spare key and found Sandhya lying motionless. The staff then alerted the police.

According to the police official, Sandhya was rushed to V N Desai Hospital, where she was declared brought dead. Vijay Kumar escaped with a fractured leg in his bid to commit suicide before a running truck.

Police suspect that the accused sexually assaulted the victim before killing her. "However, it can be ascertained only after getting the post-mortem report," he said.

A case has been registered against IPC section 302 (murder), police said, adding that a probe was on.