A 28-year-old woman was shot dead after she allegedly intervened in a dispute between her younger sister and the latter's husband and in-laws in the Cantonment area in Uttar Pradesh's Kanpur, police said on Monday.
The incident took place at Satti crossing around 8.30 pm on Sunday, when police received a firing alert through Dial-112, Commissioner of Police Raghubir Lal told PTI.
The victim, identified as Chandni, sustained a gunshot wound to her abdomen. She was rushed to KPM Hospital, where doctors declared her dead, he added.
According to the victim's family, the incident stemmed from an earlier altercation that evening between Chandni's younger sister Sarojini and her husband, Santosh. The couple, living separately for nearly two years due to a marital dispute, have a court case pending since 2024.
Police said Santosh allegedly visited his in-laws' house around 5 pm and got into an argument with Sarojini, during which she allegedly slapped him.
Around a couple of hours later, Santosh's brother Vinod, cousin Anshu and two or three other men allegedly arrived at the house on motorcycles, Deputy Commissioner of Police (East) Satyajeet Gupta said.
The group allegedly confronted the family over the slap and started abusing them. When Chandni intervened, Vinod allegedly pulled out a country-made pistol and shot her in the abdomen at close range, the DCP added.
Chandni collapsed at the spot and was rushed to KPM Hospital with the help of police, where she was declared dead.
The accused allegedly fled after firing a shot into the air, triggering panic in the locality, said an official.
Police and forensic teams inspected the crime scene and collected evidence. The body has been sent for post-mortem examination.
Three persons have been detained for questioning, while police teams have been formed to trace the remaining suspects, Commissioner Lal said, adding that a complaint has been filed by the victim's family and legal proceedings are underway.
According to preliminary investigations, the shooting appears to be linked to the long-standing marital dispute between Sarojini and Santosh. However, the exact sequence of events and the roles of each suspect are still being verified, police said.
A 55-year-old man was allegedly shot dead following a dispute with his neighbour while replacing a faulty electricity cable in Etawah district, police said on Monday.
The incident occurred around 8.30 pm on Sunday in Nagla Jalal village, when Charan Singh got into an argument with his neighbour Sonkali while a damaged power cable connected to a transformer pole was being replaced, police said.
During the argument, Sonkali's grandson Raja allegedly opened fire at Singh with a country-made pistol, injuring him, Station House Officer Surendra Kumar Mishra said.
"Singh's brother Kayam Singh rushed to his aid, while his nephew Bantu brought a pickup vehicle to take him to hospital. However, when the family members were taking Singh in the pickup, Raja allegedly arrived on a motorcycle and opened fire at the vehicle, forcing them to flee and abandon it out of fear," the SHO said.
Singh remained in the pickup for some time and continued bleeding before the family could take him to the Community Health Centre at Sarsai Nawar, he said.
"After providing first aid, doctors referred him to Saifai Medical College in view of his critical condition. Singh died on the way to the medical college, where doctors declared him dead on examination," the officer said.
Police reached the spot after being informed by the family and formed teams to arrest Raja. Raids are being conducted at possible locations, and the accused is expected to be arrested soon, the SHO said.
The body was sent for post-mortem examination after completion of inquest proceedings, police said.