Stalker plotted for days before hacking 17-year-old Hyderabad girl with stolen sickle

HYDERABAD:  Thirty hours after a 17-year old girl was hacked with a sickle multiple times by her stalker, her condition remains critical. A team of specialist doctors at Yashoda Hospital operated upon her on Thursday, but said she was likely to develop infections as the weapon with which she was attacked was rusted. C Bharath, 19, who hacked the girl 17 times for having spurned his advances, was arrested and produced before a local court which remanded him for 14 days.

“Her blood pressure was not recordable when she was admitted, but has since improved a little,” said Dr Srinivas while addressing a press conference on Thursday afternoon. A piece of her skull broke in the attack and is now embedded in her brain. Her family has expressed concerns over the quality of life she will have even if she manages to survive the gruesome attack.

"She will not be able to lead a normal life,” said Laxmi Narayana, the girl’s grandfather. Bharath concealed the sickle in his sweater and waited for at least 45 minutes for her to step out of her home to attack her.

The weapon was stolen two days back, so the attack was premeditated, East Zone DCP M Ramesh said. “On Wednesday, he laid in wait for her from 7.30 am at a nearby community hall in their locality.

When he accosted her at around 8.15 am, the girl took another path to rush back home. While running, the girl tripped on a water pipe and the accused hacked her repeatedly. A bystander named Suresh managed to push Bharath aside, but he picked up the sickle and fled the scene. If not for Suresh, the girl would have been hacked several more times,” said C Yadender, additional Inspector, Kachiguda Police Station.