17-year-old slashes woman’s throat over new phone

In order to buy a mobile phone, a 17-year-old from Nalasopara slit the throat of a neighbour when she refused to give him the money to buy the phone. The incident happened in front of the victim’s 10-month-old son, on Saturday. The woman succumbed to her injuries.

Twenty two-year-old Tanushri Dolai was cooking at her home B Wing, DD Complex, Nilegaon in Nalasopara while her son was playing with his toys, when the accused called on her and demanded `2,000 to buy a new phone. When Doli refused to pay up, a verbal fight ensued during which the accused took up a knife and slashed her throat, killing her almost instantly, said sources from the police. The incident happened in front of Dolai’s toddler son who had started crying while she was quarrelling with the accused.

After the incident the accused fled the spot and it was the baby’s cries that the neighbours came to check on the flat and found Dolai’s body lying in a pool of blood. They soon alerted the police who came and sent the body for a post-mortem.

During investigation when the police spoke to the neighbours, they came to know that the suspect was a Class ten drop out and had been living alone for the last two days. “When we went to interrogate him, we found a fresh wound on his finger. He soon confessed to his crime,” said inspector Nilesh Mainkar of Nalasopara police station. “The neighbours said that Dolai used to treat the accused as a brother,” he added.

The accused has been arrested and since he is a minor, he has been sent to the Children’s Remand Home, Bhiwandi on Sunday morning. He would remain in judicial custody till July 16, said PI Mainkar. “We have recovered `200 cash, a mobile phone and a mangalsutra weighing 10 grams of gold belonging to the victim,” added the inspector.