Taekwondo player refuses marriage proposal, killed

SUSPECT ALLEGEDLY

SHOT HER DEAD WITH A COUNTRYMADE PISTOL; HER MOTHER SAID HE OFTEN USED TO THREATEN HER

A 26-year-old woman, a taekwondo player, was shot dead at Bhora Khurd in the Bilaspur area early Tuesday morning allegedly by a man whose marriage proposal she had rejected, the police said. The suspect, a former wrestling coach, is on the run, they said.

The deceased, Sarita, had completed her diploma in physical education and was looking for a job.

The suspect, identified as Sombir Singh, had recently quit his job as a coach, the police said.

According to the police, the incident took place at 4am when Singh came to meet Sarita at her residence and allegedly shot her dead with a countrymade pistol after she refused to marry him.

The police said hearing the gunshots, the victim’s family members rushed to the spot and found her lying in a pool of blood.

The suspect, however, fled from the spot.

The relatives in their statement told the police that Singh wanted to marry Sarita and was pressuring her but since he had no job she refused to marry him.

Sarita had represented her district in taekwondo tournaments six times in a row, said the family.

Singh often visited them and tried to convince the victim, the police said.

Savitri, mother of the deceased, told the police that the suspect often used to threaten her daughter for life if she refused to marry him.

“My daughter had met Sombir

in Rohtak during a sports event five years ago. Since then he had been troubling my daughter and used to follow her wherever she went for competition. My daughter was a national-level taekwondo player and represented the state for four times,” Savitri said.

Singh, a native of village Bagdola in Jhajjar, is believed to have estranged relations with his parents and had not visited them in many months, police said.

Jai Prakash, station house officer, Bilaspur police station, said that they received a call from one of the villagers following which they sent a team to the spot.

“The woman was rushed to the hospital where doctors declared her brought dead,” he said.

Deepak Mathur, forensic expert at the Civil Hospital who conducted the post mortem of Sarita’s body, said the cause of death was excessive bleeding.

“There was one entry and exit point on the chest. She was shot from a close range,” he said.

A case under Section 302 (murder) was registered at Bilaspur police station and search for Singh is on.

Six teams have been formed and raids are being conducted in Jhajjar and Rohtak for his arrest, the police said on Tuesday evening.