PANAJI
A day after the State woke up to a shocking assault on a four-and-half-year-old girl, another incident on Valentine’s Day rattled everyone. A man, having failed to convince his alleged ex-girlfriend of a patch-up, ended up attacking her with a knife and a glass bottle.
The incident unfolded at Usgao around 7 am on Wednesday when his victim, a 22-year-old local, was leaving for work in a nearby factory. Police sources revealed to The Goan that the young woman’s refusal to accept Manthan Gawade’s proposal angered him to the extent that he resorted to violence.
“Ever since their breakup, the accused allegedly stalked her while she kept refusing his proposal for a patch-up. On Wednesday, since it was Valentine’s Day, he decided to propose to her again but she refused,” the source said, adding that the accused had supposedly pre-planned the attack if he received the same answer from her.
Jilted Gawade thereafter had a heated argument with the victim in the middle of the streets. He then attempted to strangle her, inflicted injuries with a knife and then smashed a glass bottle over her head. The accused, after this, fled from the scene and the passers-by alerted the police and the ambulance.
The victim, Ponda police said, was rushed to the Goa Medical College where she underwent surgery for the serious injuries. “She has been admitted to GMC… has a head injury and will remain under medical observation for some days, till doctors’ advice,” the police added.
After an extensive six-to-eight-hour search, the search team traced Gawade in the same village as he was hiding beneath the Usgao bridge. He has confessed to the crime and is charged under section 307 (attempted murder) of the Indian Penal Code.
“He will be interrogated and all the details on why the attack happened will be investigated,” the police said.
Sources said that the alleged couple’s relationship, which began during their college days, soured over time for unknown reasons. The victim secured a job in a factory while Gawade worked as a contract labourer.
