This man is suspected to have hacked an Infosys employee to death in Chennai
Highlights
- The man is suspected to have hacked an Infosys techie to death in Chennai
- Swathi's body lay bleeding as the attacker walked away from the platform
- Court gave cops 2 days to find the killer, the deadline ended yesterday
Six days after a 24-year-old Infosys techie was hacked to death at a bustling railway station in Chennai, the police have released a new photo of the suspect and appealed for information.
The photo gives a front view of the suspect, a thin young man with a backpack, for the first time.
The police believe he is the attacker who killed Swathi S with a sickle last Friday, and was seen running away from the platform in footage captured by CCTV cameras in nearby buildings - the Nangambakkam railway station, where the incident took place, has no CCTV cameras.
The police have asked people to dial 1512 if they can recognize the killer.
The crime has generated waves of shock and anger, not just over its gruesome nature, but also because of the complete lack of response from those who witnessed the crime.
On Friday, Swathi was waiting for her train to work at around 6.45 am when the attacker approached her and, after an argument, grabbed a sickle from his backpack and struck her repeatedly.
Swathi's body was left on the platform for over two hours as those who watched the attack did nothing to stop the killer; many left by the next train. The police arrived only hours later, which led the Madras High Court to comment that Swathi's body was left "lying like an exhibition".
The court's two-day deadline to crack the case ended yesterday. It had stepped in following reports of a lack of coordination between the railway police, which had initially inquired into the incident, and the Chennai police.
Over the last few days, investigators have questioned Swathi's parents, relatives, close friends and colleagues. The police say Swathi had been stalked for months.