S. Swathi was a 24-year-old Indian
Infosys
Infosys Limited is an Indian Multinational corporation, multinational information technology company that provides business consulting, information technology and outsourcing services. The company was founded in Pune and is headquartered in Ba ...
employee who was murdered on June 24, 2016, at the
Nungambakkam railway station in
Chennai
Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
,
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of India ...
, India while on her way to her office. Swathi was murdered in front of several people, with passengers remaining mute spectators, an assailant, suspected to be Ramkumar's, escaped, and Swathi's body lay unattended before the police arrived and started their investigation process.
Victim
Swathi was the daughter of Santhana Gopalakrishnan, a retired employee of
ESIC, the
health insurance
Health insurance or medical insurance (also known as medical aid in South Africa) is a type of insurance that covers the whole or a part of the risk of a person incurring medical expenses. As with other types of insurance, risk is shared among ma ...
company of the Indian government. She completed a bachelor's degree in
computer science
Computer science is the study of computation, automation, and information. Computer science spans theoretical disciplines (such as algorithms, theory of computation, information theory, and automation) to Applied science, practical discipli ...
at Dhanalakshmi College of Engineering in 2014, taking a course in
Oracle
An oracle is a person or agency considered to provide wise and insightful counsel or prophetic predictions, most notably including precognition of the future, inspired by deities. As such, it is a form of divination.
Description
The word '' ...
in
Anna University
Anna University is a public state university located in Tamil Nadu, India. The main campus is in Chennai. It was originally established on 4 September 1978 and was named after C. N. Annadurai, the former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu.
History & ...
the same year.
After being selected for a job at
Infosys
Infosys Limited is an Indian Multinational corporation, multinational information technology company that provides business consulting, information technology and outsourcing services. The company was founded in Pune and is headquartered in Ba ...
, she underwent training in
Mysore
Mysore (), officially Mysuru (), is a city in the southern part of the state of Karnataka, India. Mysore city is geographically located between 12° 18′ 26″ north latitude and 76° 38′ 59″ east longitude. It is located at an altitude of ...
and received a job as a System Engineer. Sidhu, a friend of Swathi from the engineering college, described her as a friendly woman who generally kept to herself.
[
]
Murder
At around 6:30 am IST
Ist or IST may refer to:
Information Science and Technology
* Bachelor's or Master's degree in Information Science and Technology
* Graduate School / Faculty of Information Science and Technology, Hokkaido University, Japan
* Graduate School ...
on June 24, 2016, Swathi's father dropped her off at the Nungambakkam railway station in Chennai. As part of her daily routine, Swathi was waiting at the station to travel to her workplace in Mahindra World City Mahindra World City (MWC) is part of the USD 19.4 billion Mahindra Group, which is active in diverse markets including automotive, farm equipment, defense, hospitality, manufacturing, aerospace, retail, finance, real estate, and infrastructure. The ...
.[ She was stabbed to death with a sickle following an argument with a man who had been waiting for her approximately 30 minutes beforehand.] The attacker fled at around 6:42 am.[ Initially, the police who discovered her body covered it with shirts purchased from nearby stores, and her body was left in such a position for more than two hours.] A senior officer later reached the station and delivered the body to the Government General Hospital
Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital is a major state-owned hospital situated in Chennai, India. The hospital is funded and managed by the state government of Tamil Nadu. Founded in 1664 by the British East India Company, it is the first moder ...
.
Suspect
P. Ramkumar was born in Meenakshipuram, a small village in the Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of India ...
.[ His father, Paramasivam, was an employee of the telecommunications company BSNL, and his mother, Pushpam, was an agricultural worker.][ Ramkumar finished of schooling in 2011, and received a degree in ]mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering is the study of physical machines that may involve force and movement. It is an engineering branch that combines engineering physics and mathematics principles with materials science, to design, analyze, manufacture, and ...
in 2015, though he found difficulty receiving employment. Ramkumar and Swathi were Facebook
Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...
friends, and they had previously exchanged phone numbers, as per police records. A police officer stated that Ramkumar had stalked
Stalking is unwanted and/or repeated surveillance by an individual or group toward another person. Stalking behaviors are interrelated to harassment and intimidation and may include following the victim in person or monitoring them. The term ...
Swathi on Facebook, and monitored her movements offline.[ Seeking employment in the ]film industry
The film industry or motion picture industry comprises the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking, i.e., film production companies, film studios, cinematography, animation, film production, screenwriting, pre-production, post ...
and an opportunity to be closer to Swathi, he took residence in Choolaimedu
Choolaimedu is a large residential and commercial locality in Chennai, Tamilnadu, India. It borders Kodambakkam, Vadapalani, M.M.D.A. Colony, Aminjikarai, Mahalingapuram and Nungambakkam. Previously a part of Puliyur village, Kodambakkam, Choo ...
, a locality of Chennai. Acquaintances characterized Ramkumar as largely solitary; some residents of Meenakshipuram said he was "friendless".[ On September 18, 2016, Ramkumar, allegedly committed suicide by electrocuting himself in his cell at the Puzhal central prison in Chennai. Police have claimed that the accused died after biting a live electric wire.
]
Investigation
The Madras High Court
The Madras High Court is a High Court in India. It has appellate jurisdiction over the state of Tamil Nadu and the union territory of Puducherry. It is located in Chennai, and is the third oldest high court of India after the Calcutta High C ...
said it would intervene if the investigation proved lax, condemning the slowness of railway police in attending to the body. The case was quickly transferred from railway to city police after little progress was made. On July 1, 2016, Ramkumar was arrested for the murder in Tirunelveli
Tirunelveli (, ta, திருநெல்வேலி, translit=Tirunelveli) also known as Nellai ( ta, நெல்லை, translit=Nellai) and historically (during British rule) as Tinnevelly, is a major city in the Indian state of Tami ...
.[ He allegedly attempted to commit suicide by slitting his throat, and was transferred to the government hospital of ]Tirunelveli
Tirunelveli (, ta, திருநெல்வேலி, translit=Tirunelveli) also known as Nellai ( ta, நெல்லை, translit=Nellai) and historically (during British rule) as Tinnevelly, is a major city in the Indian state of Tami ...
A friend of Swathi, Bilal Malik, has also been taken in for questioning by the police.
During the tenure of the investigation, Ramkumar allegedly committed suicide, on 18 September 2016, while lodged in central prison. He was taken to hospital after he bit a live wire, where he was declared dead.
Controversy
N. Panchapakesan, founder of Chennai Sai Sankara Matrimonials, authored a blog highlighting the Swathi murder case and made several remarks including calling men from other castes "loafers" who were attempting to bracket Brahmin goles for their "Higher Genetics" and being born a Brahmin is a rarity with inter-caste Marriages being a “Himalayan blunder.” The blog was subsequently removed after widespread social media outrage and criticism by the press.
In popular culture
In 2017, Ramesh Selvan
Ramesh Selvan is an Indian film director, who has made Tamil films.
Career
Ramesh Selvan made his debut as a film maker with the action film ''Ulavuthurai'' (1998) starring Vijayakanth in lead role before making the revenge drama ''Jananam'' ( ...
directed a film ''Swathi Kolai Vazhakku'' based on the incident, but due to legal hurdles later, the film's title was changed to ''Nungambakkam
Nungambakkam is a locality in downtown Chennai, India. The neighborhood abounds with multi-national commercial establishments, important government offices, foreign consulates, educational institutions, shopping malls, sporting facilities, to ...
'' and released in October 2020.
References
{{Reflist
Indian murder victims
Criminal investigation
Violence against women in India
Stalking
June 2016 crimes in Asia
2016 murders in India
Crime in Tamil Nadu
Deaths by stabbing in India