Jealous of her Insta followers, man kills wife in SUV in front of their children

A Lucknow-based businessman allegedly strangled his wife to death in front of their two kids, inside an SUV on the Purvanchal Expressway in Sultanpur on Sunday morning.

Police said that the motive behind the killing appears to be his "inferiority complex" arising out of his wife's Instagram following.

The victim's Instagram account, currently locked, is yet to be examined by the authorities.

Police said that the victim blocked her 37-year-old husband on her account, intensifying his feelings of insecurity. He suspected that some of his wife's social media admirers would visit her in his absence, leading to more tension in their relationship, the police said. The couple were married for the last 15 years.

The accused owns a tour and travel agency while the victim is a homemaker.

They lived in Para locality in Lucknow with 12-year-old daughter and five-year-old son.

The accused attacked the victim when they embarked on a journey to Rae Bareli on Sunday. Taking a diversion to Purvanchal Expressway, the accused halted near the Mujesh intersection in Sultanpur, and had a heated argument with his wife. As things spiralled out of control, he strangled her to death.

The children, who were witness to the crime, were horrified and burst into tears. Later, the accused locked himself inside the SUV.

Patrolling teams passing through the way suspected something fishy and reached the SUV. On enquiry, the couple's daughter disclosed the truth that her father murdered her mother.

Police took the accused into custody after arresting him.