Priyanka Garg was brutally stabbed not less than 14 times in the throat, chest and back inside the bathroom. The accused, Uttam Kumar, 45, has been arrested.

Kumar, a divorcee, has told the police that he was infatuated with Priyanka and could not bear to see her marry someone else. The accused, a BSc drop-out, gave private tuition to students in the locality, including Priyanka's brother Vibhor, a class IX student. He had also taught Priyanka for six years when she was in school. Priyanka was now in the second year of BSc (Physics) honours course at St Stephen's College.

According to the police, Priyanka had gone shopping for sarees with her parents last night. ``She loved zari-bordered sarees. Priyanka's parents took her to Chandni Chowk market and they returned home around 9 pm,'' a neighbour confirmed. Kumar was teaching Vibhor at home when Priyanka returned. Priyanka was reportedly in the same room, when her brother left the room to drink water leaving her and Kumar alone.

According to the police, it was then that Kumar dragged Priyanka to the bathroom and locked the door from inside. Surprisingly, the family did not hear Priyanka scream for help. He allegedly stabbed Priyanka several times. Even then the family heard nothing. It was only when they could find neither Priyanka nor Kumar in the room and they found the bathroom door locked from inside.

They could now hear her muffled cries coming from inside -- they asked Kumar to open the door. Kumar reportedly refused fearing that Priyanka's family would thrash him. ``Ironically, he asked Priyanka's family to call the police when he knew there was no escape. He had intended to slip out of the house after killing her,'' a policeman at Adarsh Nagar Police Station said.

Kumar came out of the bathroom after the police arrived and reportedly declared: ``I killed her because I could not bear to see her married to someone else.'' Meanwhile, Priyanka had bled to death. The accused later told the police that he had a relationship with the victim for the past five years. However, according to the police, Priyanka's father, a Gurgaon-based businessman vehemently denied the existence of any such relationship. Kumar, now a divorcee, had married in 1991 but was separated from his wife within a month. He divorced her five years later and was living alone in Kewal Park.

Priyanka's parents had already distributed invitation cards for her marriage. Preparations had been in full swing till late last night. ``Priyanka was looking forward to her marriage. We would often see her go shopping for sarees for the ceremony. She took special care that everything fell into place,'' a neighbour said.

Priyanka's body has been sent for post-mortem to the Subzi Mandi mortuary -- preliminary reports do not suggest sexual assault. ``We cannot, however, say anything till the post-mortem report arrives,'' DCP (north-west) Satyendra Garg told Express Newsline.