Couple held for mysterious death of NBRI employee in Lucknow

Lucknow, April 8 The Lucknow police have arrested a couple in connection with the mysterious death of a retired National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI) official last month.

The two were arrested on Sunday night here. Manoj Kumar Srivastava, the official, was found dead in his car near Dalibagh Ganna Sansthan in Hazratganj on March 21.

The names of Jageshwar Srivastava and his wife Aruna Srivastava, surfaced as Manoj’s wife had alleged their involvement in her husband’s death.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (North) Abhijit R. Shankar said that though Aruna confessed that she was with Manoj the night he died, she claimed innocence.

The deceased’s wife, Sushma Srivastava of Gaytripuram in Gudamba, said Aruna and Jageshwar poisoned Manoj to death.

The autopsy report, meanwhile, could not ascertain the cause of death and Manoj’s viscera was preserved for a forensic examination.

Sushma alleged that Manoj knew Aruna and Jageshwar well. “A month before his death, Manoj had told me and my son Harsh that he was “unhappy” with Aruna and Jageshwar,” said Sushma, in her complaint.

As per the complaint given to the police, Manoj reached NBRI for some work and left his office around 2.30 p.m. on March 20. But Manoj did not reach his home even late in the night after which Sushma lodged a missing person’s report in the early hours of March 21. Around 11 a.m. the same day, Manoj was found dead in his car. During the investigation of CCTV footage, a woman, later identified as Aruna, was seen coming out of Manoj’s car and then boarding a rickshaw. The couple is being interrogated and further details are awaited.

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