A man was arrested on Monday, a day after he allegedly hacked a 31-year-old woman to death at Narsapuram in West Godavari district. The accused, identified as Margani Ramesh, is a friend of the woman and allegedly attacked her over her refusal to accept his marriage proposal.

According to the police, the victim, Jalem Teena Roja, a mother of two children, has been married for nearly a decade. However, she stays away from her husband due to personal disputes.

Ramesh, who returned from the Gulf, had proposed marriage while he was travelling with Roja in a car driven by their common friend, A. Suresh Babu. She was received by Mr. Suresh Babu at Narsapuram railway station, and three of them were travelling to Sakhinetipalli in Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Konaseema district, when the attack occurred.

“Mr. Ramesh resorted to an attack, in which he hacked Roja to death. The driver, who tried to prevent the attack, was also injured. Roja was rushed to the government hospital, where she was declared brought dead,” Narsapuram Deputy Superintendent of Police M. Sudhakar said.

“Ramesh, who also received injuries during the attack, has been admitted to a government hospital for treatment. A case has been registered,” Mr. Sudhakar said.