A stalker who allegedly pursued a 26-year-old teacher for nearly two years walked into a private school in Faridabad on Monday morning, tricked her into coming to the main gate by using her husband’s name, and then stabbed her more than 20 times in a vicious attack in front of staff and students until the blade bent.
The accused, Amit (21), a resident of Kot village in Faridabad, was arrested within a couple of hours. Police said he had been stalking Sandhya, who taught at Saraswati Senior Secondary School in Sikrona, and attacked her after she allegedly severed all contact with him and warned him she would approach police if he continued to harass her.
Amit entered the school around 9.30am, his face partially covered with a scarf, and asked staff to inform Sandhya that “Vicky” had come to meet her, referring to her husband. Believing her husband was waiting outside, she walked towards the entrance.
Footage shows him lunge at Sandhya the moment she reaches the classroom entrance, and pull her to the corridor. Amit punches her as she cries out for help, pulls out a knife in a flash and goes on a stabbing fit, puncturing her neck, abdomen and upper body several times as she slumps to the ground.
School principal Tejpal is seen rushing into the corridor to rescue Sandhya after hearing her screams but is forced to step back as the attacker threatens him with the knife.
“There were students inside the school and Sandhya was taking classes. He used her husband’s name to call her outside. No sooner did he reach the gate, he attacked her. He stabbed her over 20 times. When I tried to stop him, he threatened to attack me too. We rushed her to Al-Falah Medical College, where she was declared dead on arrival,” the principal told TOI.
Police sources said Amit had allegedly bought the knife around two months ago and is suspected to have been planning the murder since then. While the exact number of stab wounds will be confirmed after the autopsy, CCTV footage showed him stabbing Sandhya about 20 times in just 13 seconds. Amit had come to the school on a motorcycle.
Sandhya, who had a love marriage with Vikas, is survived by their two children — a five-year-old son and a three-year-old daughter. The attack triggered panic on the campus. Teachers quickly moved frightened children back into classrooms while parents began arriving after news spread. Police cordoned off the school as forensic teams collected evidence.
Based on a complaint by Sandhya’s husband, a case was registered under Section 103(1) (murder) of BNS at Sector 58 police station.
Police spokesperson Yashpal Yadav said the anti-vehicle theft squad and a team from Sikrona police station tracked down Amit within two hours.
“During questioning, the accused said he knew Sandhya from the school in his village where she earlier taught. She later stopped speaking to him and warned of legal action if he continued following her,” Yadav added.
Police said the accused will be produced before a local court and his custody sought for further interrogation. CCTV footage and other evidence are being examined as part of the probe, they added.
