- Saturday, December 02, 2023
Tejaswini Kontham died of stabbing and her friend Akhila is in hospital with knife injuries
By: Chandrashekar Bhat
A 23-YEAR-OLD man was on Thursday charged with the murder of Indian student Tejaswini Kontham and the attempted murder of her friend at a residential address in Wembley, north London.
The Metropolitan Police said Keven Antonio Lourenco De Morais, previously referred to as a Brazilian national, has been remanded in police custody to appear at Uxbridge Magistrates Court.
Two other people – one man and a woman – arrested in connection with the murder investigation at the crime scene have now been released with no further action.
“Keven Antonio Lourenco De Morais, 23, of Neeld Crescent, Wembley was charged on Thursday, 15 June with the murder of Tejaswini Kontham and the attempted murder of a second woman,” the Met Police said in a statement.
On Tuesday (13), Met Police officers attended a flat in Neeld Crescent along with the London Ambulance Service and found Kontham and another woman, aged 28, suffering from knife injuries.
“Despite the efforts of emergency services, Tejaswini sadly died at the scene. Her family has been informed,” the police said.
It led to a man-hunt for prime murder suspect De Morais, who was later arrested in the Harrow area of north London.
The second victim of the knife attack has been named locally as Akhila, also from India who remains in hospital but is said to be out of danger.
The Indian National Student Association (INSA) UK said she remained in a state of shock following the attack, which claimed the life of her friend.
“On behalf of Indian students in the UK, we convey our sincere condolences to her family and friends and pray that her soul rests in peace,” INSA UK said in a statement referring to Kontham.
According to INSA UK, Kontham, whose full name is Tejaswini Kontham Reddy – had recently graduated from the University of Greenwich in south London and went on to secure her post-study work visa.
She moved to the flat in Wembley recently after securing a job in north London.
Kontham’s father told a news channel in India on Wednesday (14) that she had gone to London three years ago and had completed her MS course there.
She came to Hyderabad in August last year and returned to London the next month.
“We were planning to conduct her marriage. She said she will return after the alliance is finalised. She had resigned from her temporary job and said she will come back after working for another month,” he said.
The victim’s uncle requested the government to make necessary arrangements to bring her body from the UK to Hyderabad.
(PTI)
