Nagpur police used an e-rickshaw clue to track and arrest Shraddha Dubey and her associates
NAGPUR: An e-rickshaw clue helped Nagpur police to track down burqa-clad Shraddha Dubey, prime accused in the sensational murder of Lucknow cafe owner, Shiva Sharma, in Chinchbhuvan in Nagpur outskirts on Sunday.Shraddha was on the run for 10 days. Shraddha, her sister Rashmi Dubey and driver Tanveer Ali, alias Danish, were traced to a rented flat on the 11th floor of an apartment in Chinchbhuvan.A 24-hour surveillance operation, backed by CCTV footage, extraction of internet records, social media tracking and local intelligence, helped police nab the trio.The operation began after Uttar Pradesh Police contacted Nagpur commissioner of police Vishwas Nangare Patil for assistance in tracing the suspects after realizing the trio was fleeing towards central India.The top cop assigned the task to Crime Branch DCP Deepak Agarwal, who formed three teams under senior police inspectors Shubhangi Deshmukh and Nitin Chulpar. The teams worked on different leads to establish the suspects' movements across the city.As per police sources, the trio arrived in Nagpur in a rented vehicle bearing a Uttar Pradesh registration number. They reached Ganeshpeth and took an e-rickshaw to Chinchbhuvan.
This change of transport proved crucial.Nagpur police examined footage from around 200 CCTV cameras to follow the e-rickshaw's route and identify the rented apartment, where the suspects were hiding.The crime branch team zeroed in on the flat and kept it under surveillance till Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) personnel arrived.A joint team then moved in and took the three into custody. They are expected to be produced in court for transit remand before being taken to Lucknow on WednesdayShraddha remained underground for 10 days, moving between Nepal, Agra, Lucknow and Kanpur before reaching Nagpur.The investigators suspect she used different communication methods to evade police surveillance. She was also allegedly wearing a burqa to conceal her identity while travelling with her sister and driver.The case concerns the death of 27-year-old Shiva Sharma, a Lucknow businessman who owned a cafe and restaurants. He died on October 9 after falling off the fourth floor of Awadh Green Apartments in the Hazratganj area.Shiva's mother, Ranjana, had accused Shraddha and her associates of murdering him, alleging he faced harassment, threats and physical assault.Lucknow police registered a murder case and launched a search for the accused. Shraddha later released a video claiming she was innocent and Sharma had died by suicide.
Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding his death. The arrests in Nagpur are expected to help investigators establish what happened before Sharma's death.