Guntur (Andhra Pradesh), Aug 16 (IANS): The youth who stabbed to death a 20-year-old woman engineering student on a road in broad daylight in Andhra Pradesh's Guntur on Sunday, has been arrested, police announced on Monday.

Presenting the accused, Sasikrishna, before the media on Monday, police officials said that he and BTech student Ramya, 20, had become friends through social media, about six months back. However, she began distancing herself from him after he began to insist on a romantic relationship with her.

The DIG said that Sasikrishna had threatened to kill Ramya several times over the past two months, and finally stabbed her to death on Monday. He said there were six stab wounds on the victim's body, and she had breathed her last while being taken to the government hospital.

Police officials said that the accused was apprehended within a few hours of the crime. While the gruesome incident took place around 10 a.m. on Sunday, he was nabbed around 8 p.m. from an agricultural field where he was hiding. On being cornered, he had slashed himself on the neck and arms and threatened to kill himself, but was overpowered by the police. He was treated at the government hospital.

Ramya, a third year engineering student, was attacked by Sasikrishna after she refused his offer for a lift.

Some passers-by shifted the profusely bleeding girl to the Government General Hospital, where doctors declared her dead.

An initial probe by the police revealed that the youth spoke to the victim for few minutes before attacking her. He also threatened people watching him not to come closer to him and escaped.