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Lucknow: Student stabbed to death at home; classmate found unconscious, detained
The man, identified as Devansh Pathak, a resident of Badshahkheda in Talkatora and a classmate of the deceased, was found unconscious in the same room and rushed to Lok Bandhu Hospital. After first aid, he was taken into police custody for questioning, deputy commissioner of police (west) Kamlesh Dixit said.
A 21-year-old first-year BCA student was allegedly stabbed to death inside her house in Lucknow’s Para area on Wednesday afternoon, police said, adding that a young man found unconscious at the scene was detained for questioning after medical treatment.
Senior police officers inspected the crime scene as a forensic team collected evidence. The woman’s body was sent for postmortem examination.
The deceased was identified as Smriti Pandey, a native of Amethi who lived with her family in Narpatkheda under the Para police station limits. She was a first-year BCA student at TS Mishra College.
The man, identified as Devansh Pathak, a resident of Badshahkheda in Talkatora and a classmate of the deceased, was found unconscious in the same room and rushed to Lok Bandhu Hospital. After first aid, he was taken into police custody for questioning, deputy commissioner of police (west) Kamlesh Dixit said.
According to the preliminary investigation, Smriti’s family had travelled to their native Amethi on Monday when Devansh allegedly visited her house. An argument reportedly broke out between the two, after which he allegedly stabbed her to death.
Smriti’s father, a retired naib subedar from the Indian Army currently working as an NCC instructor in Kanpur, returned home after hearing the news and told police that her elder sister, Jagriti, 22, had left for college around 9 am on Wednesday. Jagriti returned in the afternoon, found no one on the ground floor, and went upstairs calling out for her sister.
Neighbours told police they heard sounds of a quarrel and screams from the house around noon but assumed it was a private matter and did not intervene, learning of the murder only later.
Police recovered the knife believed to have been used in the crime from the spot.
Officials said a case will be registered once a complaint is received from the victim’s family. Further legal action will depend on the postmortem report, forensic findings and the ongoing investigation.
