Model Shraddha Dubey, sister and driver arrested in Nagpur after 11-day manhunt in Lucknow cafe owner's death case

Model and social media influencer Shraddha Dubey, 31, her sister Rashmi Dubey and their driver Tanveer Ali alias Danish were arrested in Nagpur in Maharashtra on Tuesday in connection with the alleged murder of cafe owner Shiva Sharma, 28, who died after falling from an apartment building in Lucknow on October 9. A joint team of the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF), Lucknow Police and Nagpur Police arrested the trio after an 11-day manhunt across state borders, said officials aware of the matter.

Amitabh Yash, additional director general of police (law and order and STF), confirmed the arrests. “The process of bringing the accused, Shraddha Dubey, to a Lucknow court on transit remand is underway. Shraddha Dubey was familiar with police procedures, working methods and technical aspects, which is why it took time to arrest her. The police have finally succeeded in arresting her,” Yash said.

Lucknow police commissioner Tarun Gauba said the accused will be brought to Lucknow after the necessary legal formalities. “After getting the police custody of the accused from a local court in Nagpur on Wednesday, the UP STF will take them to Lucknow for further investigation,” said a senior police officer.

Sharma, Dubey’s alleged live-in partner, died after falling from the fourth floor of Awadh Green Apartments in Lucknow’s Hazratganj area on October 9. The incident was initially treated as an accidental death, but his mother, Ranjana Sharma, later lodged a murder complaint alleging that her son had been subjected to physical and mental torture.

She told police that Sharma had called her shortly before his death and said he would return in five minutes after Dubey called him outside. An FIR under BNS Section 103(1) (whoever commits murder shall be punished with death or imprisonment for life) was registered against Dubey, her sister, their driver and two other unidentified people on October 10.

With the accused untraceable, investigators widened the search beyond Uttar Pradesh. Police pursued leads suggesting that the trio may have crossed into Nepal through the Rupaidiha border in Bahraich district. According to police, a Mahindra Scorpio-N registered in Dubey’s name was later found abandoned in Rupaidiha, near the Nepal border on October 16.

The police later doubled the reward for information leading to the arrest of each accused from ₹25,000 to ₹50,000.

Investigators have not disclosed what led them to Nagpur or provided a detailed account of the trio’s movements during the manhunt.

The case gained further attention after videos of Dubey surfaced on social media. In a video interview to a news agency, she denied any role in Sharma’s death and claimed he died by suicide due to 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.

Dubey claimed Sharma locked himself inside a bathroom on October 9 and jumped from the balcony before her sister could open the door. She denied allegations of assault or torture and said CCTV footage would clarify the sequence of events. She also claimed to have handed Sharma’s phone to police, saying it could help establish his communications with lenders.