Karnataka’s Belagavi witnessed a horrifying crime today when a young woman was brutally murdered by a man after she refused to marry him. The accused then took his own life at the spot.

Aishwarya Mahesh Lohar, 20, was murdered at a house near Nath Pai Circle, where she was staying. The accused, 29-year-old Prashant Kundekar from Yellur village in Belagavi taluk, had been in love with Aishwarya and had been pursuing her for over a year, the oolice said.

Prashant Kundekar, who worked as a painter, had previously approached her mother, expressing his desire to marry her. However, her mother had advised him to first focus on becoming financially stable, said sources .

Earlier today, Prashant arrived at Aishwarya’s aunt’s house with a bottle of poison. He once again insisted that Aishwarya marry him, but when she refused, he tried to force her to drink the poison. As she resisted, Prashant pulled out a knife from his pocket and slit her throat.

Aishwarya succumbed to excessive blood loss. Prashant then used the same knife to slit his own throat, dying at the spot.

Senior police officers, including City Police Commissioner Yada Martin, are conducting further investigations.