In a tragic incident in Barabanki district, Uttar Pradesh, the bodies of a woman and her boyfriend were found hanging from a tree in a secluded mango orchard on Wednesday.

The couple, identified as Shilpa Yadav, 22, and Bhanu Pratap Singh, 28, had eloped from the woman’s wedding ceremony two days earlier, on May 5.

Yadav had been set to marry Sunil Kumar during the wedding rituals, but she secretly left the venue with Singh, her boyfriend, during the 'dwar puja'. Her family, attempting to save face, completed the ceremony with Yadav’s niece standing in as the bride. The discovery of the couple's bodies was made after police received an alert from locals around 7 am on May 7.

A suicide note found at the scene revealed the couple's tragic decision. The three-page letter outlined their intention to die together, expressing regret for their actions and apologising to their families, particularly to Yadav’s father. In the note, the couple expressed their inability to live without each other and chose to end their lives together.

The bodies were found in a mango orchard roughly 500 metres from Lalpur village in the Masauli area. Police officials have sent the bodies for post-mortem and are continuing their investigation into the case. Initial findings suggest that the deaths were suicides linked to emotional distress stemming from their relationship.

Police are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the deaths.