Faridabad teacher’s killer had stalked her for over a year, probe reveals

Investigators said the accused had previously been detained after a complaint but no FIR was registered. He allegedly resumed harassing the victim two months ago.

The 21-year-old stalker who stabbed a teacher dead at a private school in Faridabad on Monday had been harassing the victim for over a year and had even threatened to kill her husband, with the matter reaching police on at least one occasion, according to investigators and those who knew the victim. However, police officials did not take action after the suspect reported apologised, and promised not to do it again.

Screengrab from the CCTV footage of the incident. (HT)

On Monday, the accused, identified as Amit, entered the school in Sikrona, dragged 30-year-old Sandhya Karhana out of the classroom, and stabbed her 25 to 28 times in full view of staff and students. He was arrested within two hours from his residence in Kot village, still wearing the clothes covered in blood.

The victim and accused were first acquainted around two years ago in Kot village where Amit lived and Sandhya taught at a local school. He would frequently stalk her at the school and the administration eventually asked her to resign because of this.

She then joined Saraswati Senior Secondary School, 13km away in Sikrona, in July last year, said the school’s director Tejpal Sharma.

Then, around 10 to 12 months ago, a resident of Kot aware of the matter told HT, Amit was picked up by police after Sandhya’s husband, Vikas, filed a police complaint alleging that he had been harassing her and had threatened him.

“Amit had apologised and promised not to stalk or harass the woman and threaten her husband. His family also assured that he won’t repeat it again to the victim and her husband,” said the resident, requesting not to be named.

Her husband said that, after this, Amit had left Sandhya alone for several months. “But, he started to stalk and harass her again in the last two months.”

Around two weeks ago, perhaps trying to avoid Amit from contacting her, she deactivated her two personal numbers.

Sharma said that she only used Wi-Fi at school and at home to contact her family and colleagues on WhatsApp.

This was not enough. “I learnt from her family members that Amit had threatened to kill Sandhya and her husband just 10 days ago,” Sharma told HT. “Perhaps, this could have been avoided if she had got an FIR registered against him.”

Assistant commissioner of police (ACP) (crime), Faridabad, Aman Yadav said that, except for the one complaint from nearly a year ago, police had never received any other complaint from the victim or her husband.

“Police could not take action at the time because the couple didn’t proceed to get an FIR registered against Amit. The accused submitted a written apology that time with assurance not to harass the couple again,” he said.

Yadav said that the call detail records show that Amit was in contact with Sandhya till two weeks ago. “He probably murdered her for revenge,” he said.

Amit’s family too had become wary of the situation. “Looking at his extremely aggressive character clubbed with the complaint, his parents even advertised in various newspapers about disowning him and evicting him from property shares,” the Kot resident quoted above further said.

The ACP said Amit has been taken on three-day police remand for detailed interrogation after he was produced before a court on Tuesday.

“We are trying to recover the motorcycle and the knife used in the murder. Amit’s clothes with the blood stains from the victim have already been seized,” the ACP added.