Rajkot: A 21-year-old woman was murdered, allegedly by her cousin, who also ended his life shortly afterwards in a village of Rajkot district's Dhoraji taluka.
The woman, Harmita Dabhi, was attacked by 24-year-old Jignesh Degama when she was returning home from the field in Toraniya village on Friday. Degama attacked her with a sharp weapon and fled the spot.
The victim, found critically injured and bleeding profusely, was rushed to the Dhoraji govt hospital, where doctors declared her dead on arrival.
The motive behind the murder and suicide is being investigated, even as preliminary investigation suggested a love affair.
Upon receiving information about the incident, Dhoraji Taluka police reached the crime scene and began their investigation. The search for the assailant led to a shocking discovery: Degama, who was suspected of committing the murder, consumed poison and died by suicide at some distance from where he attacked Dabhi.
Preliminary investigation revealed that the woman and the accused were cousins, connected through familial ties.