Lucknow double murder-suicide: SBI employee shoots wife, sister before killing himself
The accused, Manas Vajpayee, an SBI employee, allegedly shot his wife, Divya Mishra, outside an ICICI Bank branch in the upscale Gomti Nagar area around noon.
Wife shot outside bank
According to police, Manas called Divya outside the bank where she worked and spoke to her for a few minutes before allegedly shooting her.
Eyewitnesses told police that Manas fled the spot after the shooting. Divya was rushed to hospital, where doctors declared her dead.
Manas and Divya had been married for around 12 years but had reportedly been living separately for more than a year. Divya had allegedly filed for divorce last year.
#WATCH | Lucknow | Dr. Diksha Sharma, DCP-East, says, "The police had received information of a woman being shot at in Gomti Nagar PS area today. On reaching the incident spot, the police were told that the woman's husband shot her. Soon after, the police received information… https://t.co/UrdIkemBma pic.twitter.com/zR7gtoLNLR
— ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) August 20, 2026
Police suspect a marital dispute may have been behind the attack. Manas had reportedly accused Divya of cheating on him.
Sister also shot at home
After allegedly killing his wife, Manas returned to his home around 12.30 pm, where he reportedly shot his 28-year-old sister, Shiva Vajpayee.
Shiva was reportedly dealing with mental health issues, according to police.
A shopkeeper near Manas' residence told NDTV that he saw him return home in a hurry and sweating profusely. The man reportedly went inside and played the Hanuman Chalisa.
The neighbour later saw Manas' WhatsApp status and went inside the house, where he found him dead.
Chilling WhatsApp status
Investigators are also examining a WhatsApp status allegedly posted by Manas before his death.
In the status, he reportedly claimed responsibility for killing his wife and sister and indicated that he intended to take his own life.
He also referred to Divya's alleged infidelity and mentioned several people, including Divya's sister Pragya Mishra and a person named Bharat, saying they knew about the matter.
Police are examining the status as part of their investigation into the motive and sequence of events.
Wife's sister had appealed for prayers
Soon after Divya was shot, her sister Pragya Mishra posted about the incident on social media.
"I just got a call that my sister has been shot. She has been taken to Lohia hospital. Please pray," she wrote while tagging the Uttar Pradesh Police.
Investigators are now looking into the circumstances surrounding the marital dispute, the alleged accusations made by Manas and the events that preceded the three deaths.
Police are also examining witness accounts, the WhatsApp status and other evidence to establish the exact sequence of events.
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