Bangalore : A woman lawyer was on Thursday stabbed to death by a person wearing an advocate's robe in the High Court premises who later tried to stab himself, police said.
Lawyer J S Naveena, aged 25 years, was fatally stabbed in the neck and ear by a man wearing an advocate's robe in front of court hall number 4 at 1.50 pm during lunch hours, police said.
"After stabbing her, the assailant tried to stab himself in the neck. He has been arrested and shifted to a hospital", police said, adding, the motive behind the murder is yet to be ascertained.
The attack took place in the presence of advocates and clients outside Court No.4. The attacker, named Rajappa, a resident of Kolar, was immediately handed over by lawyers to the police.
According to police, the accused, identified as Rajappa and the victim were colleagues and worked under a senior Mangalore-based advocate.
As per preliminary reports based on Naveena's relatives and friends, she had rejected a marriage proposal put forward by Rajappa.
Both were engaged in an altercation on the first floor of the High Court and later Rajappa stabbed Naveena five times on various parts of her body, including neck, chest and stomach, police said.
He later rushed to the toilet located on the same floor and bolted the door from inside and tried to commit suicide by consuming poison and slitting his throat with the same knife, police said.
However, lawyers and witnesses on the floor broke open the door and pulled him out and handed him over to police who rushed him to a nearby hospital, they said. PTI
