Nearly seven hours of questioning, a list of 120 questions and a series of unresolved details surrounding the death of Lucknow cafe owner Shiva Sharma marked an intense round of interrogation at the Hazratganj police station on Thursday, before a local court sent main accused Shraddha Dubey and two others to judicial custody until October 31.
Shraddha, 31, her sister Rashmi Dubey and driver Danish, who were arrested in Nagpur, were brought to Lucknow on transit remand and quizzed by the investigating team. The trio was produced before a Lucknow court that remanded them in judicial custody for 10 days, said officials.
Dubey reached the police station around 9.45am and was taken for medical examination at about 4.31pm, marking the end of the day’s first major round of questioning.
Also read: Model Shraddha Dubey, sister and driver arrested in Lucknow cafe owner Shiva Sharma's death case
Investigators prepare 120 questions on circumstances of fatal fall
A team of investigators, ranging from the DCP to personnel who had earlier been removed from the probe, prepared roughly 120 questions focusing on the mystery of Sharma’s fatal fall from the building.
{{/usCountry}}A team of investigators, ranging from the DCP to personnel who had earlier been removed from the probe, prepared roughly 120 questions focusing on the mystery of Sharma’s fatal fall from the building.
{{/usCountry}}Investigators sought to establish what happened before the fall, whether it was murder or suicide, who else may have been involved and why Shraddha fled after the incident.
Among the questions investigators sought answers to were: Who allegedly helped her evade the police during her run. Investigators also questioned her about the circumstances leading to the death and the reasons behind her escape.
Police questioned Shraddha, her sister Rashmi and driver Danish alias Tanveer Ali separately, DCP Central Arpit Vijayvargiya said, to prevent them from coordinating their accounts and to identify discrepancies in their statements.
Also read: Cafe owner’s death: Model Shraddha Dubey, 2 others sent to UP on transit remand
Two phones and ₹25,000 recovered from Shraddha
Investigators also recovered two mobile phones and ₹25,000 in cash from Shraddha, the DCP added. One of the phones is significant because she had earlier told police that she had lost it in Nepal. The devices and other seized material have been sent for forensic examination.
The three accused were brought to the court amid heavy police deployment. They were produced at around 5.30 pm after undergoing questioning for hours and a medical examination. The court subsequently ordered that Shraddha Dubey, Rashmi Dubey and Tanveer Ali be placed in judicial custody from October 22 to October 31.
The court rejected the defence counsel’s objection to the remand after examining the case diary and other documents submitted by the investigating officer. The order was passed by additional chief judicial magistrate (ACJM)-7 Balwant Kumar Bharti under Sections 103(1) (murder) and 3(5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The next date of hearing has been fixed for October 31.
During the proceedings, the defence counsel had submitted a ‘vakalatnama’ and orally sought rejection of the remand application. After hearing both the prosecution and defence and examining the case diary, the court rejected the objection.
The investigating officer sought judicial remand of the accused, citing the need for further investigation, collection of evidence and recovery of material relevant to the case.
Also read: Cafe owner death: Prime suspect model, 2 others brought to Lucknow from Nagpur
Domestic help among those questioned by investigators
DCP (Central) Arpit Vijayvargiya said police had questioned six to seven people so far, apart from Shraddha, Rashmi and Danish, to piece together the sequence of events. Those questioned included the domestic help who was present at the time of the incident and reportedly told investigators that the couple had fought during the day.
“We are investigating their statements. They have told us who helped them in all these 10 days and we are going to identify all of them and take action against them. Phones and other material seized have been sent to forensics,” Vijayvargiya told reporters.
According to the court order, the CJM, Lucknow, issued non-bailable warrants against the three accused on October 16. They were subsequently produced before the CJM court in Nagpur on October 21, which granted transit remand for their production before the Lucknow court.