In the latest development in the tragic killing of Leela Pavithra Nalamati, a 25-year-old executive of a private healthcare firm in Bengaluru, it has come to light that she had taken steps to protect herself from her attacker. According to reports, Leela had blocked the accused, Dinakar Banala's number on WhatsApp and her mobile phone, but this did not stop him from confronting her outside her workplace. Leela was fatally stabbed 17 times by Dinakar outside her workplace in Bengaluru on February 28.
Dinakar and Leela had been in a relationship for over five years, and had planned to marry. However, Leela's family was opposed to their marriage due to differences in caste, which had caused her to distance herself from Dinakar in the months leading up to the attack.
Police said that Leela had previously sought help from DISHA, a mechanism to help women in distress, in her home state of Andhra Pradesh. Authorities had brokered a compromise between Dinakar and Leela following a complaint that Leela had filed against him.