AHMEDABAD: Ankita Prajapati tried everything: changing homes, filing police complaints, avoiding contact. But none of it stopped the man who had harassed her for years. On Tuesday, her nightmare turned to tragedy when her stalker fatally stabbed her multiple times at her house in Vastral. The accused, Ashok Patel, is now on the run, and a murder case has been registered against him.The victim, Ankita, 35, lived with her husband, Chandrakant Prajapati, two children, and mother-in-law at Harbholanath Park Society near Hiraba School in Vastral. The family moved there in 2018 after facing repeated harassment from Patel.According to Chandrakant, the accused stalked and threatened his wife for years due to a one-sided obsession.He told police that Patel once lived in a nearby apartment and came in contact with Ankita in 2017. Over time, his visits to their home increased, often under the guise of servicing his bike at Chandrakant’s garage. Then, Chandrakant discovered phone calls between Patel and Ankita. Ankita admitted that Patel had forced her to communicate, threatening her when she refused to talk.The Prajapatis decided to move houses and even file police complaints against Patel, but the harassment continued. Patel often loitered near their house and issue threats to force Ankita to meet him. He allegedly told her that he would harm her children if she did not stay in touch.Around 5.45pm on Tuesday, Ankita told Chandrakant over the phone that Patel was circling their house and had asked her to come out. She told him that she was scared and planned to hide in the garage with their daughter. Chandrakant asked her to stay calm, promising to come home soon.Around 8.15pm, a neighbour called with horrifying news: Patel had stabbed Ankita. Their daughter, in tears, told Chandrakant, “Papa, come home quickly. Patel stabbed mummy. She is not moving.”When Chandrakant reached, he found Ankita lying in a pool of blood near the living room. She had deep knife wounds on her arms and abdomen. Her t-shirt was torn, and internal organs were exposed. His mother confirmed seeing Patel enter the home with a knife and stab Ankita in the kitchen. She shouted and chased him but he escaped on a motorcycle with another man.“Ashok and his accomplice rode past my shop, staring at me from the moving motorcycle,” said Chandrakant in the FIR.Meanwhile, the police and ambulance arrived at the spot. A while later, Ankita was declared dead. Based on Chandrakant’s statement and witness accounts, Ramol police filed a murder case against Ashok Patel and his unidentified accomplice.