Pregnant woman allegedly battered to death by uncle and aunt in Lucknow

A 22-year-old pregnant woman succumbed to her injuries after allegedly being beaten by her maternal uncle and his wife in Vijayant Khand locality under Vibhuti Khand police area in Lucknow on Saturday night, said cops.

The deceased Aarti, a resident of Bahraich, lived with her husband Shubham in a shanty in Vijayant Khand. She was seven months pregnant, police said.

Shubham told the police that Aarti had an altercation with her uncle Hukum Singh and his wife Meenu. He alleged that the duo brutally thrashed Aarti after barging into their shanty when she was alone. Reportedly, the altercation took place because Hukum wanted Shubham to shift his eggs cart from the Vijay Khand over bridge so that he could station his cart there instead.

Shubham claimed that the duo fled when his neighbour informed him and the police about the incident. A police team reached the crime spot and took Aarti to Lohia hospital where she succumbed to her injuries.

Shubham informed the police that before going to his shanty, Hukum had visited him at the Vijaypur underpass and objected to him putting up his egg stall there.

The station house officer of Vibhuti Khand police station Rajiv Dwivedi said the woman’s body had been sent for post-mortem investigation after registering an FIR of culpable homicide (unintentional killing) against Hukum Singh and his wife. He said the accused had disappeared from their house after the incident and raids were on to arrest them.

In another incident, a monetary dispute led to a man and his friend beating the former’s 38-year-old drunken step brother to death in a crowded residential locality, under Bazarkhala police area, late on Saturday night. Police arrested the two accused after a video of the victim being beaten in public view went viral on social media on Sunday morning.

The deceased was identified as Deepak Sahu, a resident of Bazarkhala’s Aishbagh locality.

Police said the incident occurred outside the victim’s house when his step brother Pankaj Sahu confronted him over wasting money on liquor.

The victim had reportedly spent the money received as claim from the government after the death of his father Guru Prasad Sahu. The accused, also Guru Prasad’s son, was asserting his claim on the amount.

Inspector of Bazarkhala police station Vijayendra Singh said, “Pankaj Sahu and his friend Gopal Kashyap started beating Deepak after confrontation him over the monetary issue. Locals said the duo first beat up the victim in full public view and later dragged him to his home. The victim was found dead in his house on Sunday morning.”

Singh said Deepak’s elder sister Pushpa Sahu lodged an FIR against Pankaj and Gopal in the matter. “The accused were arrested immediately after the incident came into the knowledge of the police and the body was sent for post-mortem examination,” said the inspector.

First Published: May 27, 2019 10:20 IST