Guard admits to killing Mumbai lawyer after she resisted rape

Mangalore Today/ ITV

Mumbai, August 10,Friday : Mumbai: A day after a 25-year-old woman lawyer was found dead with her throat slit in her rented flat in Mumbai’s Wadala area, a security guard of her building has confessed to the murder, police said today.

The guard, who was detained yesterday, has reportedly told the police that he was "obsessed" about Pallavi Purkayastha and had been stalking her since a fortnight. He has also admitted that he tried to rape her on the night of the crime.

The guard, identified as Pathan, reportedly had an altercation with Pallavi Purkayastha a couple of days ago and was upset with her rude behaviour.  The murder weapon was recovered from him yesterday.

According to the police, Pallavi’s body was discovered by her live-in partner Avik Sengupta, who is also a lawyer, around 5:30 am on Thursday when he returned home. Pallavi, daughter of an IAS couple in Delhi, had moved in to Wadala’s Himalayan Heights building with Avik barely three months ago. Guard Pathan had been working there for the last two years.
According to police sources, Pathan has confessed that on Wednesday night, he intentionally cut the power supply to Pallavi flat when he learnt that Avik was not at home. When Pallavi asked him for help, he reportedly visited her apartment around 1 am along with an electrician and got the power supply fixed. But half an hour later, he cut the supply again. This time, he entered her house alone and tried to rape her. Pallavi put up a fight and ran towards the corridor. She even rang her neighbour’s doorbell but nobody answered, said police, adding that Pathan then slit her throat and fled from the building.

Police officials say Pathan was missing from work all day yesterday. He was the last person seen visiting Ms Purkayastha’s apartment. He was picked up from Mumbai Central station yesterday.

Police said Saajid Pathan was scolded by Pallavi earlier and the former decided to take revenge.