Pratapgarh (UP): A 24-year-old man shot dead his girlfriend before killing self with the same gun in Uttar Pradesh’s Pratapgarh district on Tuesday morning.The police said that the reason behind the incident is yet to be ascertained.

Superintendent of Police Anil Kumar said that the incident occurred near Madafarpur market when Udayraj Verma, a resident of Singathi village, opened fire on his 22-year-old girlfriend, Jyoti.

According to SP Anil Kumar, Udayraj was in a relationship with Jyoti, who had married someone else just five days ago.

The officer said that the Jyoti was at her maternal home and had gone to the fields early in the morning when Udayraj, who was waiting nearby, shot her.

Upon hearing the gunshots, her family members rushed to the fields and found her injured. She was taken to the district medical college for treatment and later referred to SRN Hospital in Prayagraj where she succumbed.

The officer said that they found Udayraj’s body around 50-60 meters from the spot, suggesting he had shot himself after killing Jyoti.

A 0.315-bore country-made pistol was recovered from the scene and witnesses claim hearing two gunshots initially, followed by a third after some time, the police said.

The bodies have been sent for postmortem and further investigation in the matter is underway to ascertain the reason behind the incident, they added.