LUCKNOW A divorce petition and demands for the return of dowry have emerged as central factors in Thursday’s triple shooting in Gomti Nagar, where a man allegedly murdered his estranged wife and sister before turning the gun on himself.
“Relationship manager Divya Mishra had filed a divorce petition in the family court. She had also sought compensation and the return of dowry given during the marriage,” said police commissioner Tarun Gauba who reached the Husadiya residence after Manas Bajpayee allegedly shot his sister and then himself.
He said investigators had recovered crucial documents from there indicating that the couple was in the process of separation.
“After speaking to several family members, we came to know that the couple had not been living together since November 2025. Divya would sometimes stay with her family and at other times with her in-laws. Their dispute had intensified since November,” added Gauba.
Relatives and police sources said Divya and Manas had been living separately for nearly five years. She had filed for divorce a few months ago, a step family members described as the culmination of a prolonged estrangement that had strained relations within the household.
However, the two reportedly stayed in contact. Divya had observed a ‘Teej’ fast for Manas recently, a detail relatives said made the violence all the more “unexpected”, according to her sister, Pragya Mishra.
Officials said the statements of family members and other relevant evidence were being examined to establish the sequence of events and determine the precise circumstances that led to the shootings.
The triple tragedy in Gomti Nagar left relatives and acquaintances of Divya Mishra, Manas Bajpai and Sheeba Bajpai searching for answers
According to preliminary police accounts, Manas allegedly called Divya out of her car outside a bank, spoke to her for several minutes, and then allegedly shot her. Police were reviewing witness statements and CCTV footage to verify the sequence of events.
Relatives said the long separation and the divorce filing, proceedings that often carry legal, financial and emotional strain, formed an important backdrop for investigators’ probing motive. Neighbours and acquaintances said they were unaware of any recent public confrontations between the couple, which made the escalation harder to reconcile with the family they knew.
“Everyone is in shock. It is difficult to believe that within a short span of time three lives were lost,” said one person close to the family, as relatives gathered outside the mortuary.
Aakash Ghosh is a senior correspondent with Hindustan Times, based in Lucknow. He covers crime and policing in Uttar Pradesh, with a focus on developments in the state capital. His reporting also spans key beats such as railways, science and technology, and culture and heritage. He has a keen interest in off-beat and human-interest stories that foster a strong connection with readers. Prior to his stint in Lucknow, he trained and worked with multiple print and digital newsrooms in Mumbai, Patna and Kolkata.Read More
