‘Jealousy, argument, murder’: Classmate slits BCA student’s throat at Lucknow home | Lucknow News
LUCKNOW: A suspected case of jealousy turned fatal in Lucknow when a 20-year-old BCA student was allegedly killed by her classmate inside her home following an argument over her interactions with another man, police said.The victim, Smriti Pandey, a first-year Bachelor of Computer Applications (BCA) student at TS Mishra College, was found dead in a room on the first floor of her house in Narpatkheda locality under the Para police station limits on Wednesday.Police said she had suffered deep injuries to her throat caused by a sharp-edged weapon.The accused, 20-year-old Devansh Pathak, who was also her classmate, was found injured at the scene and was later arrested. Police said they recovered the weapon allegedly used in the crime.How the incident came to lightThe incident came to light in the evening when Smriti’s elder sister, Jagrati Pandey, 22, returned home from college. According to police and family members, the main gate was open when she arrived.After finding no one on the ground floor, Jagrati went upstairs calling out for her sister. She then entered the room and found Smriti lying beside the bed in a pool of blood. Devansh was also found injured nearby.Jagrati immediately informed the police and alerted other family members.Police teams reached the spot and secured the scene. Smriti was declared dead, while Devansh was taken to Lok Bandhu Hospital for treatment before being arrested.What led to the murder?Deputy commissioner of police (West) Kamlesh Dixit said Smriti and Devansh had studied together during their intermediate education and later enrolled in the same BCA programme.According to police, Devansh went to Smriti’s house after learning that she was alone. He was allegedly suspicious of her conversations with another man, following which an argument broke out between the two.Police suspect that the dispute escalated into violence, resulting in Smriti suffering fatal injuries to her throat.Devansh, however, initially claimed that Smriti had picked up a knife and attempted to harm herself during the dispute. He said he tried to take the weapon away from her and injured his hand in the process.Police said he later admitted to slitting Smriti’s throat during the altercation.Police examine evidence to reconstruct crimePolice are examining forensic and medical evidence to establish the exact sequence of events and determine whether Devansh’s version matches the evidence collected from the scene.The police have seized the knife and mobile phone. Call records, messages and other digital evidence are also being examined to establish the motive and reconstruct the events leading up to the killing.Smriti’s father, Shailendra Pandey, is a retired Naib Subedar of the Indian Army and is currently serving as an NCC instructor in Kanpur. Her mother, Kiran Pandey, is a homemaker, while her brother is preparing for SSC examinations in Prayagraj.
