Bengaluru, Sep 18 : A woman and her male friend have been arrested for stabbing a 60-year-old man, allegedly in response to a love proposal, by Karnataka Police.

The incident occurred in the Sadduguntepalya area of Bengaluru.

According to the police, the victim, Hitendra Kumar, a cloth shop owner from Jayanagar, had asked the young woman to meet him at KEB Park in BTM Layout on September 15. She arrived at the park, and while they were sitting on a bench around 9.30 p.m., Siddu, the woman's male friend, suddenly appeared and began stabbing Hitendra.

Siddu stabbed Hitendra in the abdomen and other areas until the victim collapsed. Locals and onlookers informed the police and rushed him to the hospital. Police report that Hitendra is responding to treatment and is out of danger.

The victim has filed a police complaint against the young woman and her male friend, claiming that he had previously proposed to her during an earlier visit to the park, and she had accepted the proposal.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the woman had worked at Hitendra's cloth shop in Jayanagar for a few months before quitting. She alleged that the victim had been harassing her at the shop.

The police are now investigating whether the victim sexually harassed or threatened the woman, prompting the attack. They also suspect that the woman and her male friend may have planned the crime.

Police are examining the communications between the arrested woman and the victim to resolve the case. Statements from employees at the cloth shop are also being recorded.

The police are planning to question the victim once he recovers from his injuries.

/IANS