Man jumps to death from third-floor balcony in Kolkata after assaulting woman

Kolkata, Dec 16 (PTI) A man allegedly attacked a woman acquaintance, seriously injuring her inside her north Kolkata residence, before jumping to his death from the third-floor balcony of the building on Tuesday, police said.

Both the attacker and the victim were in their early forties, a police officer said.

The man, identified as Vicky Sharma, was declared dead at a hospital, while the injured woman, Shikha Singh, is undergoing treatment and remains in a serious condition.

Singh, a widow, lived in a rented accommodation in Shibthakur Lane under the Posta police station area with her two children, the police officer said.

She earned her livelihood through small tailoring-related works. Sharma was known to her from earlier years, and neighbours had occasionally seen him visiting her residence, though the nature of their relationship was not clear, he said.

The officer said that residents had recently noticed that Sharma had allegedly been making objectionable remarks while passing by Singh's house, without entering the premises.

The incident occurred around 12 noon on Tuesday, when Singh was alone at home as her children were at school. Sharma entered the house and attacked her with a knife before jumping from the third floor of the building.

Both were taken to the hospital, where Sharma was declared dead by the attending doctors, the officer said, adding that Singh was admitted with multiple injuries.

The knife used in the attack was recovered from the spot. The police began an investigation to determine the motive behind the attack. PTI SCH NN