Bhopal:
A young woman was shot dead on Wednesday morning by a man who had been harassing her for years in a residential area of Dhar city in Madhya Pradesh.
Police said the suspect, Deepak Rathore, had pursued the woman, Pooja, 22, for marriage but she repeatedly rejected him.
Pooja, who worked in a restaurant and lived with her mother and two sisters in Brahmakund, a neighborhood of Dhar, was on her way to work when Rathore confronted her and opened fire.
She died on the spot, police said. Witnesses alerted the authorities and a manhunt for Rathore was launched.
Rathore had been stalking Pooja in the past and she filed a complaint against him in the court. He would also have threatened her family and friends, according to the police.
Later in the day, police located Rathore at his home in Brahmakund and attempted to arrest him. But he resisted and shot at the officers, wounding one of them.
The police returned fire, wounding Rathore in the leg. He was taken to a government hospital for treatment and placed under police custody.
Police also destroyed Rathore’s home, which they said was an illegal encroachment on public land.
The city council joined the operation and cleared the area of unauthorized construction.
Pooja’s murder has sparked outrage in the community, who demanded justice for her and strict action against Rathore.