Model Shraddha Dubey, the prime accused in the murder of Shiva Sharma, has been arrested in Nagpur by the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) and Lucknow Police, officials said on Tuesday. Nagpur Crime Branch senior official Deepak Agrawal confirmed Dubey's arrest.
Further details regarding the circumstances of her arrest and the next course of investigation are awaited.
Dubey, 31, had been on the run since October 9, when Sharma, 28, allegedly fell from the balcony of an apartment in Lucknow's Hazratganj area. His death, initially treated as an accidental fall, became a suspected murder case after his family alleged that he had been assaulted and tortured before being thrown from the building.
Dubey, a fashion model and Sharma's alleged live-in partner, is among the accused booked in the case. Her sister Rashmi Dubey, their driver and two other people have also been named in the case.
POLICE OFFICIALS TRANSFERRED AMID PROBE
The arrest comes amid administrative changes in the police setup overseeing the area where Sharma died. Three senior police officials were transferred as the investigation continued and the accused remained untraceable.
Hazratganj Station House Officer Vikram Singh was transferred to Police Lines, while Assistant Commissioner of Police Rajneesh Verma was moved to the Crime Branch. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) Vikrant Vir was attached to the Uttar Pradesh Police headquarters in Lucknow.
Although no official reason was given for the transfers, sources had linked the changes to the high-profile case and the handling of the investigation.
POLICE SUSPECTED ACCUSED MAY HAVE FLED TO NEPAL
Before Dubey's arrest, Lucknow Police had announced a reward for information leading to the arrest of her and two other accused, her sister Rashmi and Tanvir Ali alias Danish. The reward, initially set at Rs 25,000 each, was subsequently increased to Rs 50,000.
Investigators had also explored the possibility that some of the accused had crossed into Nepal. A Mahindra Scorpio-N registered in Dubey's name was found abandoned in a small town of Uttar Pradesh's Bahraich district, around a kilometre from the Nepal border, last week.
Police had not ruled out the possibility that some of the suspects had crossed the international border.
DUBEY DENIED INVOLVEMENT, CLAIMED SHARMA DIED BY SUICIDE
During her time on the run, Dubey denied involvement in Sharma's death in videos circulated on social media. She claimed that he died by suicide due to financial distress and alleged that he owed between Rs 15 lakh and Rs 20 lakh.
According to her account, Sharma had spoken about ending his life if he could not repay the money. She also described the events of October 9, claiming that Sharma went into a bathroom at her residence and shut the door. She said she asked her sister to check on him, but before the door could be opened, Sharma jumped from the balcony.
Dubey denied allegations that Sharma was assaulted or tortured and claimed that CCTV footage would establish what happened. She also said she had handed over Sharma's phone to the police, arguing that his communications with lenders could help establish the circumstances leading to his death.
In a video, she maintained that she was not absconding and wanted to appear before the police to present her account of the incident.
SHARMA'S MOTHER HAD ALLEGED PHYSICAL AND MENTAL TORTURE
Sharma's mother, Ranjana Sharma, has repeatedly demanded the arrest of those accused in her son's death and questioned Dubey's claim that he died by suicide.
She said Sharma called her shortly before the incident and told her he would return in five minutes after Dubey called him outside. She alleged that her son had been subjected to physical and mental torture and said she had handed over evidence to the police.
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