LUCKNOW: Journalist and YouTuber Pragya Mishra received a phone call on Thursday informing her that her sister had been shot in Gomti Nagar and taken to Lohia Hospital. Her sister, Divya Mishra, was later confirmed dead.“Just got a call that my sister has been shot in Gomti Nagar… She is in Lohia (hospital in Lucknow). May God protect my sister,” read a post by Pragya on X at 1.26pm.The post came before news broke that Divya had died.Pragya later alleged that Divya had been stalked by her husband, Manas Bajpai, before she was shot outside the bank where she worked.In another post on X, Pragya shared an image showing multiple injuries and said Divya had been living separately from Manas because of ongoing marital problems.According to Pragya, Divya reached her workplace at around 9am as usual and later stepped out with a colleague to collect a cheque. She alleged that Manas followed her, conducted a recce of the area and arrived near the bank in an autorickshaw carrying two revolvers.Pragya alleged that Manas opened fire near the bank gate before assaulting Divya by repeatedly striking her face and head with the butt of a revolver. He then allegedly fired again.She said people nearby fled in panic during the attack and described Divya’s injuries as severe, alleging that she had large gunshot wounds on her forehead.Pragya also wrote about informing their family and said she struggled to call their mother after learning about Divya’s death. She described her sister as simple and referred to a planned visit to Purnagiri.Police have not issued a detailed public statement on the allegations made in Pragya’s social media posts. The case remains under investigation.Three firearms recoveredPolice have said their investigation into the double murder and suicide has found that Manas used three firearms. Two pistols and a country-made .32-bore firearm were recovered from his house near Husadiya Crossing in Gomti Nagar.Police are investigating how Manas obtained the weapons and whether they came from one supplier or different people.A forensic science laboratory examination found that Divya was shot in the occipital part of the head. Sheeba was hit by a bullet on the right side of her earlobe, while Manas also shot himself on the right side of his earlobe.Police are examining fired cartridges, bullets and other forensic evidence to establish which weapon was used in each shooting.Investigators are also examining Manas’s contacts, movements and communications to determine how he gained access to the firearms. The ballistic examination of the seized weapons will be compared with evidence collected from the crime scene.
What happened in Lucknow?
In what police described as a double murder and suicide, Manas, 37, allegedly shot dead his estranged wife outside her workplace in Gomti Nagar, returned home and killed his younger sister before taking his own life.Police said Manas reached a private bank branch near Manoj Pandey Crossing at around 12.15pm.Divya, 33, worked there as a relationship manager.The couple allegedly had a brief argument outside the bank before Manas pulled out a pistol and shot Divya dead.He then returned to his residence near Husadiya Crossing, around 3km from the bank, where he allegedly shot his sister, Sheeba, 31, before turning the gun on himself. Police said the three deaths occurred within around 30 minutes.Investigators are also probing a WhatsApp status purportedly posted by Manas after the first shooting. It allegedly read: “Today I killed my wife as she cheated on me…now I have to kill myself and my sister….”Police said Manas and Divya had been married for 10 years but had been living separately for the past three years. Divya had filed for divorce last year. The couple had no children.DCP (East) Deeksha Sharma said Divya’s colleagues identified the attacker as her husband.Pragya, who is a journalist and YouTuber, had earlier posted: “I just came to know that my sister has been shot in Gomti Nagar. She is in Lohia. May God save her,” while tagging the Lucknow police commissionerate and the Uttar Pradesh DGP.
Tenant recalls Manas returning home
Manas’s tenant, Luv Kush, who runs a fast-food shop on the premises, told reporters that he saw Manas rushing into the residence and sweating profusely.“I even asked him what was the matter since he appeared stressed. But he told me that it was nothing, just some office issue. Then he went inside,” Luv Kush said.Police are continuing to investigate the sequence of events, the source of the firearms and the circumstances surrounding the killings.
