AGRA — Police teams have been dispatched to Agra after the last known location of influencer Shraddha Dubey was traced to the city, officials said, as investigators continue probing the death of Lucknow businessman Shiva Sharma.
Investigation expands to Agra as CCTV checks stepped up
Authorities said teams were sent to Agra to search for Dubey after preliminary leads indicated she may have travelled on the Lucknow–Agra route. Investigators are scanning toll-plaza and highway CCTV footage between Lucknow and Agra to reconstruct movements, police sources reported.
Sharma, 27, died after falling from the fourth floor of an apartment building in Lucknow on October 9. Police recovered sex toys and sexual enhancement drugs from the apartment, according to the case file. The businessman’s family has accused Dubey of murder, assault and blackmail, and a murder case has been registered against her, her sister, their driver and two other people.
- Police have dispatched teams to Agra to trace Dubey’s whereabouts.
- Investigators are reviewing CCTV footage along the Lucknow–Agra route and toll plazas.
- Dubey and associates were earlier traced across the India–Nepal border before returning to Lucknow, police said.
Investigators said the probe has taken them across the India–Nepal border after a series of leads. Dubey’s car was first recovered near the border and later footage showed her and her sister, Rashmi, in Nepal. Agencies reported they had traced her to Dang district in Nepal but lost track after she and companions were reportedly seen in the Bhaluwang area.
“Her car was found near the India–Nepal border and CCTV later showed her in Nepal; we are now checking footage on the Lucknow–Agra route,” a police source said.
Police said Dubey returned to Lucknow on Saturday night and that her location was traced to the city. However, she reportedly left the city after giving a statement to a news agency the following morning; her movements after that remain unclear, investigators told reporters. Meanwhile, Rae Bareli police questioned Dubey’s stepmother for several hours at her residence as part of the continuing inquiry.
Legal moves and tactics: surrender application, multiple SIMs
According to the case record, Dubey has submitted an application to surrender before the Lucknow court and has been in contact with lawyers for legal assistance. Police said the process of filing an anticipatory bail application and surrendering before the court has reportedly been completed, though formal custody or court proceedings were not specified in the materials reviewed by investigators.
Investigators suspect Dubey may be using multiple phone numbers, including Indian and Nepali SIM cards, while moving between locations to evade detection. She has released videos defending herself in the wake of the allegations and reportedly circulated a statement via a close friend’s social media account, police sources said.
| Key events | Details |
|---|---|
| Death of victim | Shiva Sharma fell from the fourth floor of an apartment in Lucknow on October 9 |
| Recovered items | Sex toys and sexual enhancement drugs recovered from the flat |
| Persons named | Shraddha Dubey, her sister Rashmi, their driver and two others |
| Locations traced | India–Nepal border, Dang district and Bhaluwang (Nepal), Lucknow; last known lead in Agra |
Police reiterated that tracing and verification of electronic records and CCTV remain central to the ongoing probe. They said teams working in Agra and along the route would co-ordinate with Lucknow and other agencies to establish Dubey’s precise movements and to execute any legal process required by the investigation.
The development has kept investigators busy across multiple jurisdictions, with law-enforcement sources emphasising that cross-border leads and changing phone usage complicate efforts to locate the accused quickly. For residents and travellers, officials said checkpoints and CCTV monitoring along the expressways are being reviewed as part of the search.
