TV actor stabbed for rejecting advances

A 29-year-old television actor, Malvi Malhotra, was allegedly attacked and stabbed with a sharp knife on Monday night near Versova in Andheri west. The police said, the attacker, identified as Yogesh Kumar Mahipal Singh, had been pursuing her for a while and attacked her after she repeatedly turned down his romantic proposal. Singh has been booked for attempt to murder and is yet to be traced after he raced off the scene in his luxury car.

In a statement to Versova Police, Malhotra said she had come in contact with Singh on Facebook in 2019 and had since, met him four times at a nearby cafe. During their meeting, Singh had said that he was a producer and wanted to collaborate with her in a project. "Soon after, Singh proposed to me and I declined the offer, only to be pursued again. He kept asking me to meet him, but I refused and blocked him on social media. Immediately after that he began stalking me," Malhotra said in her statement.

According to police, the incident occurred around 9pm on Monday, a day af ter Malhotra's return from her shooting schedule in Dubai. She was walking home from a cafe near the Fisheries Road when Singh approached her in a luxur y vehicle and stopped it right in front of her. He said that he wanted to talk to her, but Malhotra ticked him off for stalking and asked him to stay away.

"In a fit of rage, Singh said he would die and kill her too and proceeded to pull out a knife from his pocket and stabbed Malhotra thrice, in the stomach and her arms. As she cried out for help, Singh sped away," said a police officer. Locals rushed Malhotra to the Kokilaben Ambani Hospital in Andheri west, where she is recuperating. Subsequently, a case of attempt to murder and stalking was registered against Yogesh Kumar Mahipal Singh at Versova police station on Monday. "We are probing the case and search operations to nab him are underway," said Raghvendra Thakur, senior inspector of Versova police station.