Bengaluru (PTI): A 34-year-old married woman was stabbed to death here allegedly by a man who had been stalking her after she repeatedly refused his advances, police said on Friday.

The victim, Firdos Banu, a resident of Gangondanahalli, worked as a house help, they said.

The accused, identified as Hafiz, a mechanic, has been arrested in connection with the incident, which took place on the afternoon of March 19.

According to police, Banu was returning home from work when the accused intercepted her behind a school in the Gangondanahalli area and stabbed her multiple times, leaving her seriously injured.

Locals informed her family, and she was taken to a hospital where she succumbed to her injuries later in the evening, a senior police officer said.

A case of murder has been registered at Chandra Layout police station and the accused has been arrested, he added.

Police said Banu was married to Altaf Pasha, an autorickshaw driver, for around 15 years. She is survived by her husband and three minor sons.

Preliminary investigation revealed that Hafiz, who is unmarried, had been stalking Banu for some time and continued to harass her despite her repeated refusals, they added.

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Bengaluru: Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Friday said that the state government has decided to formulate a new policy for footpaths in Bengaluru, under which street vending will not be allowed on main roads and sub-main roads.

Addressing the media after a budget preparation meeting and executive meeting of GBA corporations at Vidhana Soudha, Shivakumar said discussions were held with MLAs from the GBA region regarding the corporations’ budgets and key civic issues.

Leader of Opposition R. Ashok also participated in the meeting and shared his views. Officials from multiple departments, including police, BESCOM, BMRCL, BWSSB and BDA, along with ministers and legislators, were present.

He stated that all five municipalities have prepared their individual budgets, while MLAs have submitted their demands, including calls for ward-wise grants.

“We have decided to bring a new policy for footpaths. Citizens are struggling to walk as footpaths are encroached upon by street vendors,” Shivakumar said.

Highlighting the need to balance livelihoods and public convenience, he added that “a separate space will be provided for street vendors, and specific roads will be designated for their business,” ensuring that pedestrians can use footpaths without obstruction. He noted that there was unanimous agreement among MLAs on this approach.

Issuing a warning to vendors, Shivakumar said that authorities will act against those violating the rules. “If vendors operate during the day and leave their carts on the roadside at night, authorities will clear them. People should be aware of this,” he said.

Providing data on street vendors, he said that around 60,000 vendors have registered so far, of which 30,000 have applied for vehicles, and a tender has already been floated.

“Only those with street vendor identity cards will be allowed to do business. Those without ID cards will not be permitted to operate on the streets,” he added.