Written by Manish SahuLucknow | January 18, 2026 07:49 AM IST 3 min readOn Friday, the two accused were brought to the court from the Kanpur jail where they are lodged.The Kanpur court sentenced a woman and her lover to life imprisonment for murdering her husband in 2024, with the conviction depending heavily on the testimony of the couple’s seven-year-old daughter, who was a witness to the crime.According to police, Neha (35) and her lover Ayush Kumar (21), both residents of Kanpur district, along with the victim, Prateek Sharma, had travelled to Lucknow and checked into a hotel. During their stay, the accused allegedly administered water laced with a poisonous substance to the victim on the pretext that it was medicine, leading to his death.On Friday, the two accused were brought to the court from the Kanpur jail where they are lodged.“The statement of Neha’s daughter, who was then in Class II, was a primary evidence against the accused. She claimed to have witnessed her mother mixing some poisonous substance in the water which was offered to her father. Besides their daughter’s testimony, there were several other evidences in the case,” District Government Counsel, Kanpur, Dilip Awasthi said.He added that the court also recorded the statements of the hotel staff as part of the evidence.However, Defence Counsel Jitendra Kumar Sahu said an appeal would be filed against the judgment.According to the prosecution, the case dates back to March 6, 2024 when Prateek, who ran a medical store, left his house along with his wife and their two children — a son and a daughter — for a trip to Lucknow and other places. Prateek, who married Neha in 2017, was a resident of the Kidwai Nagar area of Lucknow.Story continues below this adAdditional District Government Counsel, Kanpur, Manoj Kumar Jha, said that on March 16, Neha returned home with the two children. When family members asked about Prateek’s whereabouts, she claimed that his vehicle encountered a technical fault and that he would return later. Four days later, Neha again left the house with the children on the pretext of buying medicines. When she failed to return, Prateek’s father, Puneet Sharma, lodged a missing person’s report on March 21 regarding Neha and the two children at the police station concerned.Jha said that during the investigation, police put the mobile phones of Neha, Prateek and Ayush under surveillance. It was found that Ayush was using Prateek’s phone, through which his location was traced.The probe revealed that Ayush had accompanied Prateek’s family on the trip and they stayed at a hotel in Lucknow, where Prateek’s condition deteriorated. He was subsequently taken to a hospital, where he died.According to police, Neha and Ayush later performed Prateek’s last rites in Lucknow.Story continues below this ad“During questioning, the couple’s daughter said that her mother gave her father water mixed with some substance, after which his health deteriorated, and was rushed to the hospital. While they were on their way to Kanpur, her mother told them that her father had been hospitalised and would return soon,” Jha said.Based on these findings, a case was registered against Neha and Ayush, and both were subsequently arrested.Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram© The Indian Express Pvt LtdTags:Lucknow police