Lucknow Bank Shooting: CCTV Captures Moments Before Man Shot His Wife Outside ICICI Bank

Lucknow: A disturbing incident outside an ICICI Bank branch in Lucknow’s upscale Gomti Nagar area has come to light after CCTV footage captured the moments leading up to a fatal shooting involving a husband and wife.

According to police and eyewitness accounts, 38-year-old Manas Vajpayee, an employee of the State Bank of India (SBI), went to the ICICI Bank branch where his wife, Divya Mishra, worked. The incident took place around noon on Thursday.

The CCTV footage shows Manas approaching Divya outside the bank and stopping her as she appeared to be entering the premises. The two spoke for a few moments, after which the situation reportedly turned violent.

CCTV Captures Confrontation Outside Bank

The footage accessed by NDTV shows Manas physically preventing Divya from entering the bank. At one point, bank employees can be seen coming outside after noticing the confrontation and apparently attempting to intervene.

However, the situation quickly escalated. Manas allegedly assaulted Divya before pulling out a firearm and shooting her outside the bank. The bank staff then rushed back inside as the shooting took place.

Eyewitnesses told the police that Manas had called his wife outside the bank and spoke to her for several minutes before opening fire.

Divya was seriously injured in the shooting and was immediately taken to a hospital. However, doctors declared her brought dead, according to police.

The incident shocked employees and people in the busy commercial area, with the CCTV footage providing investigators with important evidence about what happened outside the bank.

Couple Had Been Living Separately

Police said Manas and Divya had been married for around 12 years, but the couple had reportedly been living separately for more than a year.

According to information gathered during the preliminary investigation, Divya had filed for divorce last year. Police are examining the circumstances surrounding the couple’s strained relationship and the events that led to the shooting.

Manas had allegedly accused his wife of being unfaithful. Police are investigating whether marital and family disputes played a role in the incident.

Shooting Was Followed By Another Tragedy

The incident outside the bank was only the beginning of a larger tragedy.

Police said that after shooting Divya, Manas returned to his residence within minutes. He later posted a WhatsApp status in which he claimed that he had killed his wife and indicated that he intended to take his own life and kill his sister.

Manas subsequently shot his 28-year-old sister, Shiva Vajpayee, who was reportedly dealing with mental-health issues, before shooting himself.

The deaths turned the incident into a double murder-suicide, sending shockwaves across Lucknow.

Police Commissioner Tarun Gauba said the preliminary investigation suggested that a family dispute may have been behind the killings. However, authorities said the investigation was still underway and that the exact circumstances and motive were being examined.

WhatsApp Status Raises Questions

Manas’ WhatsApp status has become an important part of the investigation. In the post, he alleged that his wife had cheated on him and said he was going to kill himself and his sister.

He also referred to his wife’s sister, Pragya, and her husband, Bharat Yadav, claiming that they knew about the matter.

Police are examining the allegations made in the WhatsApp post and are trying to establish what exactly led to the confrontation between Manas and Divya.

Authorities have not treated the allegations in the post as established facts and are continuing to verify the claims as part of the investigation.

Neighbours Heard Gunshots

After returning home, Manas reportedly locked himself inside the residence.

Luvkush, who runs a restaurant operating from rented premises where Manas lived, told NDTV that he saw Manas rushing back to the house shortly after the shooting outside the bank.

According to Luvkush, Manas appeared extremely stressed and was sweating heavily. When asked what had happened, he reportedly said that it was nothing serious and referred vaguely to office-related issues before going inside.

People working at the restaurant later heard the Hanuman Chalisa playing loudly from inside the house. The door remained locked.

Neighbours subsequently heard two gunshots coming from the residence. Concerned by the sounds, they gathered outside and eventually broke open the door.

Inside, they found the bodies of Manas and his sister.

Police Probe Underway

The sequence of events is now being reconstructed through CCTV footage, eyewitness accounts, digital evidence and statements from people who knew the family.

The CCTV footage from the ICICI Bank is expected to be particularly important because it captures the confrontation between Manas and Divya shortly before the shooting. Investigators are also examining the WhatsApp status posted by Manas, the firearm used in the incident and other evidence recovered from the residence.

The case has raised renewed concerns about how unresolved family disputes can escalate into extreme violence. While police have indicated that a family dispute appears to have been a preliminary trigger, investigators are continuing to examine the couple’s relationship, the divorce proceedings and the events immediately preceding the shooting.

The tragic sequence — beginning with a confrontation outside a workplace and ending with the deaths of three members of the same family — has left colleagues, neighbours and residents of Lucknow deeply shaken.

News source: Information for this article was gathered from a variety of reliable news outlets.