TN youngster attacks partner with hammer, victim critical

CUDDALORE: A youngster who allegedly assaulted his partner with a hammer in Cuddalore district on Wednesday evening was arrested near Vriddhachalam on Thursday. Police said preliminary inquiry revealed he had attacked the woman as her family is arranging her marriage to someone else. The condition of the victim, who sustained injuries to the face and head, is critical, police added.

The victim, Prithi* (21), and the accused, A Sridhar (27), had been in a relationship for five years, but Prithi’s parents had arranged her wedding with another man on June 9, a source from the Karuvepilankurichi police station in Cuddalore said. Prithi hails from Pethankuppam village, near Kurunjipadi, while Sridhar is from Karmangudi, near Vriddhachalam.

“He called her to his village to talk, and when she arrived, he tried to kill her by attacking her with a hammer on a farm near the Vellaru River. Workers from a nearby farm raised an alarm and stared running towards him, but Sridhar pushed her and fled,” said a police official involved in the probe. Prithi was sent to the Government Hospital in Cuddalore, and later shifted to JIPMER Hospital in Puducherry.

At the crime scene, cops from the Karuvepilankurichi police station found a bag and a bike belonging to Sridhar. They went to his house, but he had absconded. 

Assailant was caught near Neyveli, say cops

“We caught him near Neyveli. He was inebriated and not in a condition for us to hold an inquiry,” added the police source. Prithi, who suffered severe injuries on her left cheek and head, is critical. “More details will be ascertained once they regain consciousness,” said a police source.

The situation in Karuvepilankurichi is tense as both belong to different communities. Police has increased presence in both Pethankuppam and Karmangudi villages.

*Name changed