The incident took place near Dunka in the Shahi police station area of Bareilly on Tuesday evening.
According to the police, the wife was on her way home from her material place, along with her husband, when they were confronted by the unidentified men.
After receiving word of the incident, the villagers gathered outside the local police station and vented their fury. Top police officers had to intervene and additional forces had to be pressed into service to enforce order, officials said.
According to the police, Rajkumar, a resident of Birpur Bakenia in the Shahi police station area, was riding back to his village on a bike from Shishgarh on Tuesday evening, with his wife Hemlata riding pillion.
On the link road from Dunka to Birpur Bakenia, four unidentified persons forced them to pull over and tried to rob them, police said.
As the groom raised alarm, the accused brought out guns and started raining blows on him, the sleuths informed, adding that as Hemlata tried to come in the way, the unidentified men fired two bullets at her, killing her on the spot.
Speaking to ANI, Bareilly SSP Sushil Ghule said, "The groom was heading home to Bakenia, along with his wife, from his in-law's place around 8.30 pm. On the way, a gang of four men forced them to pull over and tried robbing them. As the couple tried to fight back, the accused opened fire resulting in the wife's death."
"We have sent the wife's body for post-mortem while her husband is receiving treatment at a hospital. A complaint has been registered against the unidentified accused and further investigation is underway," the SSP told ANI.
In an earlier incident on Saturday, a minor girl was allegedly raped by two youths in the Faridpur police station area of Bareilly.
(ANI)
