Shraddha Dubey, her sister and driver were untraceable since October 9, when Shiva Sharma died after falling from the fourth floor of an apartment building.
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An 11-day manhunt across state borders ended in Nagpur on Tuesday, with a joint team of the Lucknow Police and Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) arresting model and social media influencer Shraddha Dubey, her sister Rashmi Dubey and driver Tanveer Ali alias Danish in connection with the death of cafe owner Shiva Sharma.
Amitabh Yash, additional director general of police (ADG), law and order and STF, confirmed the arrests.
The trio had remained untraceable since October 9, when Sharma, 28, died after falling from the fourth floor of Awadh Green Apartments in Lucknow's Hazratganj area. His mother, Ranjana Sharma, subsequently lodged a murder complaint against Dubey and others, alleging that her son had been killed. The allegations are under investigation.
The arrests came after an intense search that extended beyond Uttar Pradesh and reportedly involved leads pointing to Nepal, as well as several cities in India. Investigators initially suspected that the trio had crossed into Nepal through the Rupaidiha border in Bahraich district. Preliminary information suggests that they later travelled to Agra before boarding a flight to Nagpur. Their movements during the 11 days they were on the run are yet to be officially detailed.
The search continued even after Dubey made a surprise appearance in a video interview from an undisclosed location, denying the murder allegations and claiming that Sharma had died by suicide. She also urged investigators to examine CCTV footage from the apartment complex, saying it would help establish what had happened. Her claims had not been independently verified.
Dubey also shared a series of video posts during the period, even as police teams continued to search for the three accused. Her public appearances and continued social media activity raised questions about the police's inability to trace her.
With the accused still at large, the police intensified the search, pursued non-bailable warrants and doubled the reward for information leading to the arrest of each accused from ₹25,000 to ₹50,000.
Police action amid scrutiny
The prolonged manhunt had put the Lucknow Police under scrutiny, with the investigation triggering administrative action against senior officers. DCP (Central) Vikrant Vir was attached to the DGP headquarters, while Hazratganj station house officer Vikram Singh was removed from his post. Assistant Commissioner of Police Rajneesh Verma was also transferred to the crime branch, according to earlier reports.
The action came amid reports of chief minister Yogi Adityanath's displeasure over the handling of the case and the delay in tracing the accused.
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