Engaged 4 days ago, Lucknow woman strangled by ex-lover, head bashed in with brick

The victim, Shivani, worked with a real estate company in Lucknow and lived with her family, who were preparing for her wedding after her engagement on May 14.

In Short

• Victim engaged four days prior, wedding plans underway
• Boyfriend Prem Kumar Manjhi arrested for the crime
• Prem confessed, citing jealousy over victim's colleague

A 22-year-old woman was found murdered in a secluded area of Lucknow’s Sushant Golf City locality, just four days after her engagement, police said on Tuesday. Her boyfriend has been arrested for the murder.

The victim, identified as Shivani, worked at a real estate company and had got engaged to a man named Prakash on May 14. Her family said wedding preparations were underway at their home.

According to police, Shivani left her house around 10 am on Sunday for office work but did not return till late at night. Concerned family members approached the police on Monday, following which they were informed that a woman’s body had been found in the forests of Sushant Golf City. Shivani was identified by her mother through photographs shown by police.

Police said Shivani’s father works as a daily wage labourer while her mother works as a domestic help. The family, struggling financially, was reportedly happy after her recent engagement.

To crack the case, police formed four teams and examined CCTV footage along with electronic surveillance data. During the investigation, police arrested Shivani’s boyfriend, Prem Kumar Manjhi (23), a native of Bihar’s Chhapra who worked as a delivery agent in Lucknow.

During interrogation, Prem told police that he had known Shivani for the past seven to eight years. However, he was upset over the last six months after noticing her growing closeness with a male colleague named Manish. Police said Prem had seen photographs of Shivani and Manish on her phone and had become enraged.

According to investigators, the accused told police he had no objection to Shivani’s engagement, but could not tolerate her proximity to Manish.

Police said Prem took Shivani on his motorcycle to a forested area near the Awas Vikas Colony on Sunday morning. He allegedly strangled her using a rubber water-level pipe before dragging the body into nearby bushes and smashing her head with a cement brick.

After the murder, the accused allegedly threw Shivani’s mobile phone into a canal in an attempt to destroy evidence.

Senior police officer Amit Kumar Anand said the accused had confessed to the crime. Police have also recovered the cement brick allegedly used in the murder based on his statement. After legal formalities and questioning, the accused was sent to jail, he added.

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