A 27-year-old jilted lover, Rahul Yadav allegedly shot Nidhi Mishra (23) after learning about her engagement to another man, while he was in Allahabad for a family function. The police claim that the couple was seeing each other for four years and had not broken up.
Police believe Nidhi must have decided to part ways on Monday, in the light of her wedding, which infuriated Yadav. He shot her in the back of the head and then shot himself. Police sources claimed Yadav had brought the unlicensed gun from his hometown with the intention to kill her if she resists his advances.
Police officials said that Yadav often picked up Mishra from her workplace at Malad (W). A senior officer privy to the probe said that Mishra's colleagues knew about her 'friendship' with Yadav, but she claimed that she was not serious about him. "Yadav and Mishra had not broken up and the man was very heartbroken about her engagement," the official said.
Police said that Yadav, a history sheeter with cases of assault, extortion and attempt to murder was in Allahabad for a month. "He returned on Monday. After picking up Mishra on a motorcycle, they went on the back road of Infiniti Mall, Malad. They ordered a vada-pav and got into an argument. In a fit of rage, Yadav shot Mishra and then himself," said Dilip Sawant, Additional Commissioner of Police (North Region).
Mishra's family claimed that their daughter, who got engaged on November 30, was happy with the wedding and had even celebrated her birthday with family, friends on December 14. "She was all set to get married on May 21. She never complained of any threats and had been to Shirdi with her fiancé last weekend," said Mishra's aunt. “Rahul worked as a site manager in a nearby under construction building. He was very serious about Nidhi and had not anticipated that she would marry someone else. He stayed with his family in Abhilak Nagar at Laljipada, where he returned on Monday. The incident occurred on the same day," said a close friend of Yadav.
Police said that it was a premeditated murder and suicide as Yadav was carrying the pistol with him. They are checking the WhatsApp messages and are pulling out the CDR to ascertain if the deceased duo were in touch. Prima facie, Bangur Nagar Police have registered a case of murder against Yadav and booked him under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code, Arms Act and Maharashtra Police Act.
(To download our E-paper please click here. The publishers permit sharing of the paper's PDF on WhatsApp and other social media platforms.)
