Jajpur, Jan. 8: A jilted lover allegedly stabbed a 24-year-old girl to death and later tried to commit suicide. The incident occurred in Pratappur village in Jajpur district on Wednesday night.

The seriously injured youth, identified as Dasaratha Sahu, 27, of Pratappur village is battling for his life at the SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack, police said.

Sahu allegedly stabbed the girl, who has been identified as Sasmita Priyadarshini Sahu of the same village, with a sharp-edged object to death on the village road when she was returning home after giving tuition in a nearby village, police said.

According to the police, Dasaratha was in love with Sasmita and wanted to marry her, but she did not reciprocate his feelings.

“Dasaratha was enraged that the girl whom he loved and wanted to marry, refused his repeated proposals, the last being a couple of days ago. So, he allegedly attacked Sasmita Priyadarshini with a sharp-edged object after finding her in a secluded spot on the village road. The incident happened at around 9 pm on Wednesday,” said Amitabh Mohapatra, inspector-in-charge of Dharmasala police station.

Hearing the girl’s cry for help, nearby residents rushed to the spot.

“Anticipating trouble and after seeing residents thronging the spot, the accused tried to commit suicide by stabbing himself. The residents found the duo lying on the road in a pool of blood. They took both the injured girl and the youth to the local hospital,” Mohapatra said.

The doctors declared Sasmita dead while the youth who received injuries to his abdomen was shifted to the SCB Medical College and Hospital after his condition deteriorated. The youth is battling for his life. Police took Sasmita’s body and sent it to the district headquarters hospital for post mortem.

The father of Sasmita has filed an FIR.