A Santacruz-based jilted lover allegedly stabbed his 17-year-old co-worker in her stomach after she turned down his marriage proposal. The incident took place on Monday, when the girl was heading towards Santacruz railway station along, with a woman colleague.

The locals then rushed her to the hospital, where she was immediately operated upon and her condition is said to be stable. After the incident, the suspect, Mithilesh Gupta, 20, tried to flee, but was nabbed by passersby and handed over to the police.

According to the police, Gupta and the victim worked together in a garment factory in Santacruz (east). Both were residents of Agripada in Santacruz (east) and had been acquaintances since the past two years.

"When victim and her friend were walking on the road near Jain temple at Nehru Road, Gupta accosted her and proposed marriage. The victim refused and both had an argument. Gupta then threatened that should she decline his proposal, he would kill her," said senior police inspector, Vinayak Mule, of the Vakola police station.

"The girl did not pay heed to the threat and in a fit of rage, Gupta removed a knife from his pocket and stabbed her in the abdomen," added Mule.

The victim's friend screamed for help, and it was then that people gathered and nabbed Gupta and brought him to the Vakola police station. The girl was immediately rushed to VN Desai hospital and later shifted to Nair Hospital.

"Gupta has been arrested under section 326 (for voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons). He was produced in the court on Monday and remanded to police custody till Wednesday. During the investigation, we learned that it was a one-sided love affair and the two worked in the same garment factory. We are trying to record the statement of eye-witnesses," said Mule.