The Uttar Pradesh Police on Wednesday secured transit remand of model and social media influencer Shraddha Dubey, 31, her sister Rashmi Dubey and their driver Tanveer Ali, alias Danish, a day after their arrest in Nagpur in connection with the death of Lucknow cafe owner Shiva Sharma, 28. The police team left for Lucknow by road with the three accused for further investigation.
The trio was produced before Chief Judicial Magistrate Sameer Sattaram Kamat at a Nagpur court around 2.30pm, following which the court granted their transit remand till October 24. A team of the Nagpur crime branch, led by senior police inspector Shubhangi Deshmukh, and personnel of the UP Special Task Force (STF) were present during the proceedings.
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Accused en route to Lucknow
DCP (central) Arpit Vijayvargiya confirmed that the accused were being brought to Lucknow. “The UP Police are bringing the three accused to Lucknow for questioning and further investigation into the case,” he said.
The police are covering the distance of about 900 km by road, with the journey expected to take 14-15 hours. The absence of a direct flight between Nagpur and Lucknow is said to be the reason for choosing road transport.
{{/usCountry}}The police are covering the distance of about 900 km by road, with the journey expected to take 14-15 hours. The absence of a direct flight between Nagpur and Lucknow is said to be the reason for choosing road transport.
{{/usCountry}}Sharma died on October 9 after falling from the fourth floor of an apartment building near Balu Adda in central Lucknow. The incident was initially treated as an accidental death, but his mother later filed a murder complaint alleging that her son had been subjected to physical and mental torture. A murder case was registered on October 10.
According to his mother, Sharma called her shortly before his death and said he would return in five minutes after Dubey called him outside. Dubey is alleged to have been in a live-in relationship with Sharma.
The three accused were arrested on Tuesday after a search operation launched on inputs from the UP Police. Investigators used CCTV footage and local intelligence to track them down. A crucial lead reportedly came from an e-rickshaw driver who had given a ride to the burqa-clad trio.
Evasion attempts
According to UP STF chief Amitabh Yash, Dubey allegedly tried to evade investigators by concealing her identity with a burqa, changing vehicles, limiting mobile phone use and staying at budget lodges with limited surveillance. She reportedly stayed at an Agra hotel for about 24 hours on October 17 before leaving with two others.
Yash said information suggested she had travelled to Nepal and returned, though this remained unconfirmed. Investigators later traced a vehicle used by the trio in Nagpur and examined footage from around 200-250 CCTV cameras. Technical inputs and AI-assisted tracking helped narrow their location to Prozone Palms society in Beltarodi, from where they were arrested.
After leaving Lucknow, the three allegedly travelled to Kanpur, Agra and Nepal before reaching Nagpur on Monday. They rented a flat on the 11th floor of an apartment in the Beltarodi area of south-west Nagpur, where they were eventually traced by the crime branch.
The case gained further attention after videos of Dubey surfaced on social media. In a video interview with a news agency, she denied any role in Sharma’s death and claimed he died by suicide because of financial difficulties. She alleged that Sharma owed between ₹15 lakh and ₹20 lakh and had threatened to end his life if he could not repay the money.
Investigators have also questioned the possible role of a man identified as Aamir, who was suspected of helping Dubey reach the Rupaidiha border crossing near Nepal and transfer Sharma’s mobile phone. However, his detention has not been officially confirmed, and Vijayvargiya denied that Aamir had been detained.
The circumstances surrounding Sharma’s death remain under investigation.