A twenty-one-year-old woman was brutally murdered by a fellow student for rejecting a marriage proposal, with the barbaric act taking place outside the university’s gate in Mansoura city of Egypt.

The murder was committed in broad daylight on Monday outside the gate of Mansoura University, with the man violently slitting open the victim’s throat with a knife, reported local media. The incident was also recorded on cell phones by those at the university gate.

The victim, 21-year-old Nayera Ashraf, was rushed to the hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival.

The man, a fellow student, tried to flee the crime scene but was restrained by bystanders who handed him over to the police.

A preliminary analysis of the victim revealed that she had injuries on her neck and chest, among other areas.

The Egyptian Public Prosecution issued a statement on Tuesday, saying that the suspect would be detained for four days while the investigation was still underway.

According to the prosecution, the suspect, Mohamed Adel, had confessed to killing the victim due to the dispute between them. The prosecution filed the crime as premeditated murder.

The victim’s family had previously filed a restraining order against the suspect, as he had persistently approached Ashraf with offers of marriage.

A video of the brutal incident has been circulating on social media. The prosecution advised the public against circulating the footage of the crime further as it interfered with the investigation.

Egyptians were outraged at the incident, criticizing the bystanders for not intervening, opting instead to make videos.

Others condemned the people for circulating the video.

The incident also triggered conversations on gender violence, with lawyer and rights activists Nehad Abo al-Komsan raising a pertinent issue in an Instagram post.

“A long as we do not take the complaints of young women seriously, and as long as we say that those fighting for women’s rights are ‘emboldening girls and causing trouble’, this will be the result.”