Man kills wife, mother-in-law in UP after bid to take away child fails

A man stabbed his wife and mother-in-law to death and left his father-in-law critically injured at their home in Uttar Pradesh's Ballia on Saturday.

Amit Gupta allegedly crept into his wife Preeti's parents' home in the early hours of Saturday and stabbed her when she refused to hand over their child, police said.

Her mother, Sushila Devi, was stabbed to death when she rushed to intervene, while her father, Antu Gupta, sustained critical injuries attempting to stop the attack and has been admitted to a hospital in Varanasi.

Amit and Preeti had married in 2022 following a love affair. According to family members, trouble began after the couple visited the in-laws' home recently.

They alleged that Amit took Preeti elsewhere after the visit and assaulted her instead of taking her home. Following the dispute, Preeti had been staying at her parents' house for the past ten days.

Police have sent the bodies for post-mortem. The accused is currently absconding, and a manhunt has been launched to trace him. Police said the motive behind the killings will become clear once he is arrested.

- Ends

With inputs from Anil Kumar Gupta