Rajkot: A 29-year-old woman returning home after a court hearing was allegedly stabbed to death by her estranged husband near Mulchand Road in Surendranagar on Tuesday. Her mother and an autorickshaw driver were also injured when they tried to intervene and save her from the murderous attack.According to police, the deceased Sonal Kordiya and her husband, Rajesh Kanjiya, had been involved in a marital dispute that was pending before the Surendranagar family court. Sonal had been staying with her parents following marital discord.On Tuesday, both Sonal and Rajesh appeared for a scheduled court hearing. After the proceedings, she was returning home in an autorickshaw and was accompanied by her mother, Jashuben.As the rickshaw was passing near Manav Mandir on Mulchand Road, Rajesh allegedly intercepted it and attacked Sonal with a sharp-edged weapon. Police said she was stabbed more than 20 times on various parts of her body.Sonal sustained critical injuries and was rushed to a nearby hospital, where doctors declared her dead on arrival.When autorickshaw driver Darshan and Jashuben attempted to intervene, Rajesh allegedly attacked them as well. Darshan suffered injuries to his chest and other parts of his body, while Jashuben sustained a knife wound on her wrist.Investigating officer H H Jadeja said the couple had married around seven years ago and had no children. Their relationship had been strained by frequent quarrels over the past four years. Sonal moved back to her parental home about two years ago, after which a divorce petition was filed and remained pending before the family court.Police have registered a case against Rajesh under Sections 103(1), 109(1), 118(1), 126(2), 352 and 351(3) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with Section 135 of the Gujarat Police Act.Multiple police teams have been deployed to trace and arrest the accused. Police are using human intelligence and technical surveillance to arrest the accused at the earliest.
