E-Paper
Death penalty for stalker who threw woman in front of train
A special court on Monday sentenced a 23-year-old man to death for stalking, harassing and murdering a 20-year-old woman by pushing her in front of a moving train in Chennai
A special court on Monday sentenced a 23-year-old man to death for stalking, harassing and murdering a 20-year-old woman by pushing her in front of a moving train in Chennai allegedly after she rejected his proposal in 2022.
The incident took place at the St Thomas Mount railway station in Chennai on October 13, 2022, when accused Satish, who was allegedly stalking S Sathya since September, pushed her in front of a moving train after an argument. Sathya died on the spot while her father died of a heart attack the next day after hearing the news. Satish, who had fled the spot soon after the incident, was arrested on October 14, 2022 from Thoraipakkam area of Chennai.
On December 27 this year, the Mahila court in Chennai found Satish guilty under sections 302 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) based on the probe conducted by the Crime Branch-CID (CB-CID) of Tamil Nadu police. The verdict relied on the testimonies of 70 witnesses, the CCTV footage from the railway station and forensic evidence.
Hearing the matter on Monday, judge J Sridevi said: “...the accused is sentenced to death, and that he be hanged by the neck, till he is dead, subject to confirmation by the Hon’ High Court of Madras …”
Justice Sridevi also sentenced the convict to three years’ rigorous imprisonment under Section 4 of Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Women’s Act and imposed a fine of ₹35,000. The court ordered the victim’s mobile phone to be given to her sister while the convict’s phone is to be in the state’s possession.
“Taking into consideration the mental trauma caused to the younger sisters (Tharani and Monisha) of the deceased, the court finds that they are entitled to get ₹10,00,000 as compensation from the Tamil Nadu State Government,” the court said.
According to police, Satish is a school drop out and the victim was a college student. The two were neighbours at Chennai’s Alandur police quarters, but Satish had been forcing Satya for a relationship, and started harassing and stalking her since her engagement in September 2022.
On the day of the incident, witnesses told the police that the convict and the victim were arguing when he suddenly pushed her on the tracks in front of a suburban train at the St Thomas Mount Station and fled the spot.
