Influencer Shraddha Dubey, sister and driver caught in Nagpur in Lucknow cafe owner death case

Shraddha Dubey, a model and social media influencer who is the principal accused in the death of Lucknow cafe owner Shiva Sharma, was taken into custody in Nagpur on Tuesday, October 20. The Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) and the Lucknow Police ran the operation together, and officials have confirmed it. STF chief Amitabh Yash has also confirmed the arrest.

Two others were picked up along with her: her sister Rashmi Dubey and their driver Tanveer Ali, who is also known as Danish. All three had been on the run since Shiva Sharma died on October 9, and a reward of Rs 50,000 each had been announced for information that would lead to them.

According to reports, the trio were traced to a flat in the Chinchbhuvan locality on Wardha Road. The Nagpur Crime Branch helped the visiting Uttar Pradesh teams find the hideout and make the arrests. Besides the STF unit that made the arrest, teams from STF headquarters, the Lucknow STF, the Lucknow Police and the Varanasi STF had all been working on the hunt, and the Nagpur arrests came after their combined effort.

Shiva Sharma was 28. He is believed to have plunged to his death from the fourth floor of a residential building in Lucknow's Hazratganj area on October 9. His mother, Ranjana Sharma, then lodged a complaint saying her son had been murdered. In view of how he died, the police began treating the case as a suspected murder.

The case has attracted wide public attention, with many asking what led up to the death and what part each of those named may have played. Police teams searched for Shraddha Dubey and the others for 11 days. In that period she is said to have put out videos on social media in which she denied any involvement. She claimed that Shiva had taken his own life and that he was in financial trouble, and she also mentioned debts she attributed to him. None of these claims has been established as fact, and the investigation is continuing.

Her arrest after such a long search is being seen as a significant turning point. The police are now expected to question her about what happened before Shiva Sharma's death and where she stayed while evading arrest. Investigators may also look at what she did while absconding and at other facts connected with the case, and the inquiry will be taken forward on the basis of what emerges from the questioning.

The three accused are expected to be taken to Lucknow for further investigation and legal proceedings. Police are reportedly completing the formalities for the transit remand that this requires. Investigating officers will go over the circumstances of Shiva Sharma's death, the sequence of events on October 9 and the alleged roles of the accused.