Man hacks girlfriend to death with axe, attempts suicide

DEHRADUN: In one of the most gruesome incidents ever reported from Uttarakhand, a man hacked his girlfriend to death with an axe on Thursday morning and then attempted to kill himself.
Pankaj Singh Lathwal, 21, had gone to the girl’s house in Selaqui area in the city, allegedly after consuming poison. He then attacked the girl, 20-year-old Priyanka Joshi, with an axe, causing severe injuries to her head, upper body and hands, according to police officials.
Lathwal is from Almora district and had taken a house on rent in the same neighbourhood as the girl’s. While he works in an industrial unit in Dehradun, Joshi is from Uttarkashi district and lived with her family. Her father Pushpendra is a security guard.
While investigators are yet to verify the exact cause behind the incident, police officials said it was possibly a case of a relationship gone sour. Lathwal had reportedly claimed that the couple had been married at a temple earlier, but the relationship was not approved by her family.
“The girl’s father left for work around 5:30 am. Soon after, Lathwal, who had already consumed poison, came to the house. After a heated argument, he attacked her with an axe,” said additional superintendent of police (ASP) Manjunath T C, talking to TOI.
According to the police official, Lathwal was aware that the girl was alone in the house as her mother and younger brother had gone to Uttarakashi on Wednesday evening. “After the heinous crime, he slit open his wrist with an edged weapon. We got a telephone call that the two were lying in a pool of blood in the house at Selaqui,” he said, adding that the girl was still alive when the police arrived. “We immediately rushed both of them to Doon Hospital but the girl was declared dead on arrival,” he added.
Lathwal’s condition continues to remain critical and the doctors have said that the next 24 hours were crucial for him. “The initial probe shows that it was a planned crime as Lathwal had consumed poison before going to her house. We are still working on the case and trying to find out all the facts at the earliest,” said Manjunath.