E-Paper
Railway contractor shot dead in his Lucknow house in broad daylight
Three masked assailants barged into the house of a railway contractor and shot him in front of his second wife and three children on Saturday
Three masked assailants barged into the house of a railway contractor and shot him in front of his second wife and three children on Saturday.
The incident took place in Nilmatha locality under the Cantt police station limits here on Saturday afternoon, triggering panic in the crowded residential locality.
Police officials said the second wife of the 42-year-old contractor alleged that a dispute with his first wife was the main motive behind the incident but further investigation is on to ascertain the reason for the killing.
The deceased, Virendra Thakur, was a resident of East Champaran district in Bihar but was living in Lucknow’s Nilmatha locality for around 13 years. His first wife had left him and got married to another man in 2021 leaving her three children. Thakur too remarried and the second wife took care of the children.
Lucknow commissioner of police (CP) DK Thakur, who visited the spot to examine the crime scene, stated that Virendra Thakur had apprehensions about an attack following which he had kept three private guards and had even installed CCTV cameras where he lived. He said the private guards are also missing after the incident so their role is also suspicious. He said that Thakur had been attacked similarly in Alambagh locality in 2019 and he could not walk properly since then. He said the deceased had been managing work from home since then.
Sharing further details, the CP said the incident took place at around 12.30 pm when Thakur was at home and the three assailants barged into his house after opening the main door. He said Thakur was present at home with his second wife and three children. He said the assailants shot him twice and fled from the spot. He said the victim was rushed to a nearby hospital where doctors declared him brought dead.
The CP said that one of the private guards must have helped the assailants gain entry to the house. He said that a team is scanning CCTV footage of the house as well as other CCTVs installed on the approach route of his house so that identities of the assailants could be ascertained.
He said that the second wife had alleged that the first wife had been mounting pressure on Thakur to transfer properties in her name after separation and she was responsible for the murder.
