Surat, Sep 15 (IANS): In a shocking daylight attack, an estranged lover has killed his 20-year-old girlfriend in Surat by repeatedly stabbing on her face and throat with a screwdriver before delivering fatal blows to her head with a stone, the police said on Friday.

The accused has been identified as Shailesh Vishwakarma (21), while the victim has been identified as Nilu Vishwakarma. The incident took place on Thursday, the police said, adding that Shailesh has been arrested from his house after a formal complaint was launched.

Shailesh and Nilu had been neighbours for over a decade, with their families maintaining cordial relations since both hailed from Uttar Pradesh.

However, the relationship between Shailesh and Nilu had been strained over the past four years. The accused, who was unemployed for several months, desired to marry Nilu, a proposal vehemently opposed by the girl's parents.

Following the murder, the victim's sister-in-law, Archanadevi Vishwakarma, lodged a formal complaint with the Sachin GIDC police station, providing an account of the incident.

According to Archanadevi, she was busy with her household chores while Nilu was engaged in a conversation with their neighbour, Kamladevi, outside their residence in the Talangpur area.

Suddenly, Shailesh arrived on the scene and launched a savage attack on Nilu. He stabbed her multiple times on the face and throat with a screwdriver. Subsequently, he bludgeoned her head with a stone until she succumbed to her injuries, as detailed in the police report.

Archanadevi immediately informed her husband, Vikas Vishwakarma, and her father-in-law, Gulabshanker Vishwakarma, who work at a nearby textile factory.

As per police sources, more than 10 people, including five women, witnessed the incident but could not come forward to save the victim out of fear.