Pregnant Woman Shot Dead By Husband's First Wife, Accused Arrested

A pregnant woman was shot dead by her husband’s first wife in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.

During the June 9 incident, the woman, identified as Shabana, opened fire at her husband’s second wife on the crowded street while passersby watched. According to sources, Shabana shot the pregnant victim and walked around the body holding the handgun for several minutes while onlookers watched.

The victim, formerly a Hindu known as Manshi Sharma, had chosen Islam and changed her name to Alia after she got married to Shabana’s husband Zafar.

According to sources, Zafar and Shabana were married for the past 20 years. The couple had five children. Zafar married Alia around one and a half years ago and kept it a secret from his first wife.

However, Zafar and Shabana had constant altercations since last year after she was aware of her husband’s secret second marriage. According to reports, Shabana would also engage in a verbal confrontation with Alia on a daily basis.

Sources report that on the day of the incident, Alia, who lived near the couple’s house, was returning home with her niece when Shabana confronted the duo. Her primary target was Alia’s niece Muskan. Shabana fired at the girl but missed. When Alia stepped in to protect her niece, Shabana showered four shots at her.

She hit the ground and laid there bleeding while Shabana walked around her body. Alia was later rushed to a nearby hospital where she was pronounced dead. The mother of two kids, was seven months pregnant with her third child when she was shot dead.

Police were called to the scene who immediately responded and took Shabana into custody. No details have been revealed of the charges imposed on her.

According to local sources, Zafar had allegedly handed the 9 mm pistol used for the crime to Shabana. She then learned to use it by watching Youtube videos. Zafar is currently absconding.

This is an ongoing investigation and no further details were available at the time of this writing.