Lucknow cafe owner's death: Model among 3 arrested in Nagpur

• Model Shraddha Dubey, her driver and her sister were arrested in Nagpur.

• The three are accused in the death of cafe owner Shiva Sharma, who fell from an apartment balcony on 9 October.

• Akhilesh Yadav alleged that the case could bring down the Uttar Pradesh government.

Three people, including fashion model Shraddha Dubey, the main accused in the death of Lucknow cafe owner Shiva Sharma, were arrested in Nagpur on Tuesday, police officials said. The other two arrested are Dubey's driver, Danish, and her sister, Rashmi Dubey.

The three, each carrying a reward of Rs 50,000, were arrested by a police team and the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force. They will be brought to Lucknow on transit remand, officials said.

Sharma, 28, allegedly fell from the balcony of an apartment in the Balu Adda area under the Hazratganj police station limits on 9 October. Police initially treated the incident as an accidental death but registered a murder case following allegations by his family that he had been assaulted and tortured before the fall.

Shraddha Dubey, 31, had been absconding since the incident. Her sister, Rashmi, their driver Tanvir Ali, alias Danish, and two other people have also been booked in the case.

In videos circulated on social media, Shraddha denied involvement in Sharma's death. She claimed that he had jumped from the balcony after going into a bathroom at her residence. She also alleged that Sharma owed Rs 15 lakh to Rs 20 lakh and had threatened to end his life if he failed to repay the debt.

The model denied allegations of assault and torture, saying CCTV footage would establish what had happened.

An audio recording circulating on social media purportedly captures a conversation in which Sharma admits to taking and selling jewellery belonging to Shraddha. In the recording, she is heard saying the jewellery was worth around Rs 6 lakh and asking when the money would be returned.

Investigators had also examined the possibility that some of the accused had crossed into Nepal. A Mahindra Scorpio-N registered in Shraddha's name was found abandoned in Rupaidiha town in Bahraich district, near the Nepal border, last week.

Sharma's mother, Ranjana Sharma, had alleged that her son was subjected to physical and mental torture. She said he called her shortly before the incident and told her he would return in five minutes after Dubey called him outside.

Police officers transferred

Amid the investigation, Hazratganj station house officer Vikram Singh was transferred to Police Lines, Assistant Commissioner of Police Rajneesh Verma was moved to the Crime Branch, and Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) Vikrant Vir was attached to the Uttar Pradesh Police headquarters in Lucknow.

Akhilesh Yadav targets government

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday alleged that Sharma's death was “not an ordinary case” and claimed it could bring down the Uttar Pradesh government. He drew a parallel with the July 2020 police encounter of Kanpur-based gangster Vikas Dubey.

“Justice should be delivered. Remember, the vehicle had not overturned; the government was saved from being toppled,” Yadav said, referring to the circumstances surrounding Vikas Dubey's death. The gangster was killed in a police encounter after the vehicle transporting him from Madhya Pradesh to Uttar Pradesh overturned.

“This case, too, is not an ordinary one. It is a case that will bring down the government,” the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister claimed, making a veiled reference to alleged links between the case and influential people.

The allegations remain part of an ongoing investigation.