Nagpur — A multi-agency operation in Nagpur on Tuesday resulted in the arrest of model and social media influencer Shraddha Dubey, her sister Rashmi Dubey and their driver Tanveer Ali alias Danish, in connection with the death of 28-year-old Lucknow café owner Shiva Sharma, officials said.
Joint operation led to arrests in Nagpur
The three were taken into custody following an 11-day multi-state manhunt. A joint team comprising the Lucknow Police, the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) and the Nagpur Police tracked the accused to Nagpur, Acting on specific intelligence, officials said. Each of the trio had been declared fugitives with a reward of ₹50,000 on their heads.
- Arrested: Shraddha Dubey (31), Rashmi Dubey and Tanveer Ali (alias Danish).
- Case: Death of Lucknow businessman and café owner Shiva Sharma (28), who fell from a fourth-floor apartment on October 9.
- Teams involved: Lucknow Police, UP STF and Nagpur Police.
Lucknow Commissioner of Police Tarun Gauba confirmed that the three accused were produced before a Nagpur court and were being brought back to Lucknow on transit remand, according to reporting.
Case background and allegations
Sharma fell from the balcony of a fourth-floor flat at Awadh Green Apartments near Balu Adda in Lucknow on October 9. His death was initially treated as an accidental fall, but the case was reclassified as a suspected murder after Sharma’s mother, Ranjana Sharma, lodged a complaint alleging her son had been assaulted, tortured and thrown from the building, the FIR under Section 103(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) said.
Investigations at the flat, as reported, recovered sex toys and sexual enhancement drugs, and police noted cigarette burns on Sharma’s body, factors that prompted further suspicion of foul play. Shraddha Dubey, described in reports as Sharma’s alleged live-in partner, was booked along with her sister, their driver and two others in the FIR.
How the search unfolded
Officials said the accused were traced after investigators scanned CCTV footage from toll plazas on the Lucknow–Agra route and tracked movements across Uttar Pradesh and into Nepal. At one stage, investigators believed the trio might have fled to Nepal after an SUV registered in Shraddha’s name was found abandoned in Rupaidiha in Bahraich district near the Indo‑Nepal border.
“She was familiar with police procedures, working methods, and technical aspects, which is why it took time to arrest her,” Amitabh Yash, ADG (law and order), said in a statement reported by media outlets.
Police sources said Shraddha Dubey had been on the run since October 9. Teams widened their searches to Agra after Nepal Police sources gave sighting information, and investigators scanned CCTV at toll plazas to establish movements along key routes.
| Event | Date/Detail |
|---|---|
| Death of Shiva Sharma | 10 October incident dated to an October 9 fall from fourth-floor in Lucknow (initially treated as accidental) |
| Complaint filed | Family lodged complaint accusing assault, leading to FIR under BNS Section 103(1) |
| Manhunt duration | 11 days |
| Arrest location | Nagpur |
The arrests in Nagpur mark a significant development in a case that drew national attention because of the circumstances of Sharma’s death and the social-media profile of the prime accused. The three accused were produced before a Nagpur court and are expected to be taken to Lucknow on transit remand for further legal proceedings, the police said.
Investigations remain under way, with authorities continuing to examine evidence including digital trails and CCTV footage that established the movements of the accused across state borders.
This office will report further developments as courts and police make them public.
