A newly married man from Basti was shot dead just seven days after his wedding, and police say his wife and her lover planned the murder together. The victim, Anis, was 25 years old and had recently returned home from Mumbai for his marriage. He was killed on Thursday evening when his wife’s lover, Rinku, allegedly lured him out and shot him in the forehead with a country-made pistol.
Police arrested Rinku within hours and detained Anis’s wife, Ruksana, for questioning. Officers said the two had been in a relationship for nearly two years and continued to stay in touch even after Ruksana married Anis on 13 November.
According to investigators, Anis had stepped out for a walk in his village in the Parshurampur police station area when Rinku approached him, pretending to ask for directions. After walking a short distance, Rinku allegedly fired at him from close range. Anis was rushed to a hospital in Ayodhya and later referred to the Medical College, but doctors could not save him.
Police say Ruksana and Rinku finalised their plan on 19 November, when she had gone to her parents’ home for the Chauthi ritual. She had allegedly been sharing details about Anis’s movements, which helped Rinku carry out the attack.
In the initial investigation, many villagers told police they had not heard a gunshot. Officers first suspected a sharp-weapon attack because the wound was deep and the bullet was not visible from the outside. A medical report later confirmed that it was a gunshot injury, and the close-range firing had caused the bullet to lodge inside Anis’s skull.
Superintendent of Police Abhinandan said Rinku was arrested the same night, and police recovered the pistol, cartridges and other evidence. Ruksana is being interrogated and is likely to face charges for conspiracy and instigation.
Anis’s father, Shamsuddin, said the family had faced threats earlier. “On the day of the wedding farewell, some local boys stopped his car and threatened him. We did not file a complaint then,” he said. The village is now in mourning, and additional police have been deployed in Bedipur for security.
