Bengaluru: A 22-year-old lady living in Bengaluru was murdered in a forest in South Goa on Sunday as she was murdered by her boyfriend, who took her to the forest to get married.
Police said the victim, a non-teaching member of a school based in Bengaluru, had travelled to Goa along with Sanjay Kevin M, an unemployed man of Karnataka, in a brief trip. The couple had known each other, studied together, and dated for several years before travelling on a Hubballi bus after meeting somewhere near Haveri. They had landed on Sunday in a forest in Pilliem, Dharbandora, and this is where the offence took place. Police said that Sanjay, suspecting that the woman had an affair with the other man, lured her to the bushes and cut off her throat with a knife that he carried with that sole purpose. He ran away with her phone at that point.
Within one day of the murder, Goa police arrested Sanjay, 22, in Bengaluru. According to a press release issued by the police, Sanjay even acknowledged that they quarelled on their way, and the reason behind his action was connected to personal relationships. The statement said, “He disembarked the bus and slaughtered her by cutting her throat in Pilliem.” The investigation is still ongoing to reveal more facts.
The event has raised concerns about the safety of women travelling in a country that has experienced many similar incidents in the area. According to the state police data, Goa in 2024 had an increment of 7% in crimes against women, which has led to a cry for the next level of safety assurance.
The case is under investigation by the government to figure out the entire scope of the situation, possible penalties, and section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal code. The tragedy highlights the disastrous effects of unresolved conflicts in relationships.