A 17-year-old girl was found with her throat slit allegedly by a jilted lover in Gajuwaka of Visakhapatnam on Saturday night. The girl later died in a hospital.
This is the third such incident of women being killed in Andhra Pradesh in less than three weeks.
According to the police, the girl Varalakshmi was in the intermediate second year in a local college and the accused Akhil (23) is studying law. Both know each other for some time.
She was found with heavy bleeding near a temple. The police have reportedly taken Akhil and another youth into custody in connection with the murder.
The fresh incident, this time in Visakhapatnam has shocked the port-city. The earlier two incidents were in Vijayawada, where a 24-year-old nurse was set afire on 12 October, and on 15 October, a 20-year-old engineering student was stabbed in her neck inside her house by a man who was allegedly in a relationship with her earlier.
While the perpetrator in the first case also succumbed to the burn injuries, the second case offender is under treatment in a hospital for alleged self-inflicted knife injuries.
Women organisations and opposition TDP leaders have condemned the attacks and expressed fear over a series of brazen attacks on ladies in the state.
Chief Minister Jaganmohan Reddy has announced an ex-gratia of Rs 10 lakh to the family of Varalakshmi in Visakhapatnam.
Reddy directed the DGP and other officials to take stern action against the accused and other such perpetrators of atrocities on women.
The Chief Minister called for more awareness creation among every woman to download the “Disha” app for their safety.
“Efforts should be made to educate school and college girls to compulsorily download the app on their phones,” Reddy said while directing officials to act immediately when they receive a distress call from any woman claiming a threat to life.