Man kills college girl in full public view near Tambaram station
The incident bears chilling similarity to the Swathi murder case five years ago, when the IT engineer was hacked to death
CHENNAI: Five years after the chilling Swathi murder case shook the State, a 22-year-old college student was on Thursday stabbed to death in broad daylight near the Tambaram railway station by her spurned lover, an engineering graduate, in a similar manner. The man who also attempted suicide by slitting his own neck was caught by the public and was admitted to the Chromepet GH. M Swetha (22) from Radha Nagar, Chromepet, pursuing a diploma in Medical Laboratory Technology (DMLT) in MCC in Tambaram, was walking towards the railway station with her friend around 1.30 pm when Ramachandran (25), a mechanical engineer working at a private firm in Maramalai Nagar, stopped her for a conversation. The two were seen having a heated argument under a tree in the Tambaram railway quarters when Ramachandran suddenly pulled out a knife and stabbed the woman. Upon hearing her cries, onlookers tried to catch Ramachandran but he threatened them with the knife and slit his throat. The Selaiyur police rushed to the spot and took both to the Chrompet GH where Swetha was declared dead on arrival. Preliminary inquiries revealed that Ram and Swetha were in a relationship for the past two years after a chance meeting on a train to Mayiladuthurai in 2019. “For the last few days, Ram felt that Swetha had been avoiding him and her phone was always engaged. Frustrated over her behaviour, he confronted and stabbed her,” a policeman said. Police claimed that the condition of the accused was stable. Further investigations are on. In 2016, Swathi, an IT engineer was murdered in a similar manner by a spurned lover at the Nungambakkam railway station. The incident had sent shock waves across Tamil Nadu.