At 12.15 pm on Thursday, a 39-year-old man allegedly shot his wife dead outside the private bank branch where she worked in Lucknow’s upscale Gomti Nagar. Less than an hour later, he allegedly killed his sister at their home and then shot himself.
Minutes after the shooting outside the bank, police said the man posted a WhatsApp status in which he alleged he killed his wife because she “cheated on him”.
The three were identified as Manas Bajpayi, his wife Divya Mishra (34) and his sister Tulika (29).
According to police, Bajpayi reached the bank around noon and called Divya outside. She walked out through the main gate and the two stood talking about 10 metres from the bank building.
Mid-conversation, security guards told police, Bajpayi suddenly pulled out a pistol and allegedly shot Divya in the head and chest from close range. As Divya slumped to the ground and the security guards rushed towards her, Bajpayi ran towards the main road and vanished within seconds.
Divya, a relationship manager at ICICI bank, was rushed to Lohia Hospital by staff but was declared dead on arrival.
How police linked the two shootings
As the police began investigating the shooting outside the bank — the bank is barely 500 metres from the Gomti Nagar police station — around the same time, a wireless message alerted them to two bullet-riddled bodies of a man and a woman inside a house around 3 km away in Viram Khand.
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DCP (East) Deeksha Sharma, who was at the bank, rushed to the house along with other officials. The two bodies were identified as those of Bajpayi and his sister. Tulika had suffered two gunshot injuries, while Bajpayi had a bullet injury to his temple.
Police said Bajpayi’s neighbour, Akash, rushed to his house after seeing his WhatsApp status. He found the door bolted from inside. By then, neighbours had gathered outside after hearing gunshots.
They forced the door open to find Bajpayi and his sister lying in a pool of blood. The police were alerted thereafter.
Neighbours said Bajpayi was employed with a nationalised bank. Police found an ID card at the house, which showed Bajpayi worked as a senior assistant with SBI in Lucknow’s Jankipuram area.
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Couple lived separately
During their preliminary probe, police said Divya’s colleagues claimed she was living separately in the Alambagh area for over a year following a marital dispute with her husband.
Neighbours and some distant relatives of Bajpayi told police that he lived with Tulika, who was unmarried and undergoing treatment for an illness. Their parents had died years ago.
Lucknow Police Commissioner Tarun Gauba said a few months ago, Divya had filed an application in the family court for divorce and sought maintenance and return of ‘streedhan’ (woman’s assets at husband’s house).
Police said Bajpayi had rented the front portion of his ground-floor house to a fast food joint. Speaking to The Indian Express, Gauba said their preliminary investigation revealed that Bajpayi would share his personal issues with the man who ran the joint.
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He said the tenant was aware of the dispute between Bajpayi and his wife. Last week, the tenant claimed Bajpayi was very upset as he had come to know that his wife was allegedly cheating on him. This, Gauba said, could be the trigger that led to today’s incident.
Police also said the weapon was a country-made pistol of .32 bore, and they are ascertaining where Bajpayi got it from.
Bhupendra Pandey is the Resident Editor of the Lucknow edition of The Indian Express. With decades of experience in the heart of Uttar Pradesh’s journalistic landscape, he oversees the bureau’s coverage of India’s most politically significant state. His expertise lies in navigating the complex intersections of state governance, legislative policy, and grassroots social movements. From tracking high-stakes assembly elections to analyzing administrative shifts in the Hindi heartland, Bhupendra’s reportage provides a definitive lens on the region's evolution.
Authoritativeness He leads a team of seasoned reporters and investigators, ensuring that The Indian Express’ signature "Journalism of Courage" is reflected in every regional story. His leadership is central to the Lucknow bureau’s reputation for breaking stories that hold the powerful to account, making him a trusted figure for policy analysts, political scholars, and the general public seeking to understand the nuances of UP’s complex landscape.
Trustworthiness & Accountability Under his stewardship, the Lucknow edition adheres to the strictest standards of factual verification and non-partisan reporting. He serves as a bridge between the local populace and the national discourse, ensuring that regional issues are elevated with accuracy and context. By prioritizing primary-source reporting and on-the-ground verification, he upholds the trust that readers have placed in the Express brand for nearly a century. ... Read More
