Manas Bajpai, a 32-year-old SBI officer from Lucknow, allegedly shot and killed his wife on Thursday. He then proceeded to kill his sister before shooting himself.
The incident took place around 12:15pm outside an ICICI bank branch in Gomti Nagar, where Bajpai’s wife, 37-year-old Divya Mishra, worked as a relationship manager.
According to reports, Divya had allegedly returned to her office from a work assignment. Bajpai was waiting outside the office and beckoned her over. After a brief conversation with her, he allegedly shot her and fled the crime scene.
Local media reports indicate that the accused uploaded a WhatsApp status in the meantime, admitting that he murdered his wife and mentioning his plan to kill his sister, Sheeba Bajpai.
“Today I killed my wife as she cheated on me. Now I have to kill myself and my sister. Her sister Pragya and Bharat know everything”, the WhatsApp message read.
He subsequently headed to his residence in Husaria, around 2 kilometres away from the area. A neighbour recounted that Mishra was drenched in sweat while entering the house. Once inside, he reportedly locked the door and shot his sister.
The neighbours ran to the house and broke open the door upon hearing the loud gunshot. But Bajpai and his sister were found lying in a pool of blood.
Police Commissioner Tarun Gaba confirmed the incident and said, “The scene has been inspected. Manas Bajpai returned home within minutes of killing his wife, posted a status, and then killed his sister and then himself. When neighbours arrived, they found both bodies. Police recovered a weapon from the scene.”
Reports indicate that the couple have been involved in a court dispute for over a year. Divya had filed for a divorce from her husband and was living separately in Alambagh. Divya was the sister of Pragya Mishra, a journalist and YouTuber.
(If you are having suicidal thoughts, or are worried about a friend or need emotional support, someone is always there to listen. Call Sneha Foundation - 04424640050 (available 24x7) or iCall, the Tata Institute of Social Sciences' helpline - 02225521111, which is available Monday to Saturday from 8 am to 10 pm.)
