A 20-year-old woman was stabbed to death and her male friend was grievously injured on Monday evening by an enraged driver, whose love the victim had allegedly spurned a month ago. Police said Neha Yadav and Gaurav Kumar, 24, employed at the same call centre in Noida, were headed home when they were attacked near Dallupura timber market T-point, metres away from the New Ashok Nagar police station.

“Around 5:10pm, their car was waylaid by one Devender, a driver who claims he had known Neha for over a year. He stopped his motorcycle abruptly in front of their car and picked a fight with Gaurav,” said Prabhakar, deputy commissioner of police (east).

At the conclusion of his heated argument with Gaurav, Neha’s team-leader at the Vertex Call Centre who had known her for less than a month, police said, Devender smashed his helmet against the vehicle's window.

Gaurav quickly opened the car door and ran to a policeman he had just spotted on the opposite side of the road for help.

“In the process, Devender stabbed him in the cheek but he managed to get away even as Neha jumped to stop the accused. But Devender was able to push her back before stabbing her in the stomach several times,” said an officer investigating the case.

The police team Gaurav had rushed to for help nabbed Devender. The injured were rushed to Lal Bahadur Shastri  Hospital, where Neha was declared dead and Gaurav was admitted.

He was unable to make a statement to police after being given 14 stitches for the deep gash he suffered on his right cheek.

Police have arrested the accused.