Nagpur: A seemingly routine e-rickshaw ride turned into the crucial lead that unravelled the 10-day hideout of burqa-clad Shraddha Dubey, the prime accused in the sensational murder case of Lucknow cafe owner Shiva Sharma. A painstaking police operation, involving the scrutiny of nearly 200 CCTV cameras, digital intelligence and round-the-clock surveillance, led to the arrest of Shraddha, her sister Rashmi Dubey and their driver Tanveer Ali, alias Danish, from a rented flat on the 11th floor of an apartment in Chinchbhuvan on the outskirts of Nagpur on Sunday.
The breakthrough came after the suspects, who had allegedly been moving across several cities to evade arrest, switched from a rented vehicle bearing a Uttar Pradesh registration number to an e-rickshaw at Ganeshpeth in Nagpur. That change of transport became a critical link in the investigation, allowing police to reconstruct their movements and narrow down their possible hideout.
The operation demonstrated how CCTV surveillance, digital investigation and conventional ground-level policing can converge to track suspects who allegedly attempt to conceal their identities and movements.
UP Police seek Nagpur’s help
The hunt intensified after Uttar Pradesh Police contacted Nagpur Commissioner of Police Vishwas Nangre Patil for assistance, having received information that the suspects were fleeing towards central India. Recognising the need for coordinated action, the Nagpur Police Commissioner assigned the task to Crime Branch Deputy Commissioner of Police Deepak Agarwal.
Agarwal constituted three teams under the supervision of Senior Police Inspectors Shubhangi Deshmukh and Nitin Chulpar. The teams pursued separate leads, examined the suspects’ possible routes and worked to establish their movements within the city.
Investigators combined CCTV footage, internet records, social media tracking and local intelligence to piece together the trail. Rather than relying on a single clue, they reportedly built a sequence of movements that eventually pointed towards Chinchbhuvan.
E-rickshaw ride becomes the turning point
According to police sources, the trio arrived in Nagpur in a rented vehicle carrying a Uttar Pradesh registration number. After reaching Ganeshpeth, they reportedly abandoned that mode of transport and took an e-rickshaw towards Chinchbhuvan.
The switch appeared to offer the suspects a way to move without drawing attention. However, it also created a fresh trail for investigators to follow.
Crime Branch personnel examined footage from around 200 CCTV cameras to trace the e-rickshaw’s route. By correlating the recordings and tracking the vehicle’s movements, the teams gradually narrowed the search to the rented apartment where the three suspects were allegedly staying.
The exercise required investigators to connect footage from different locations and establish a plausible route between the suspects’ arrival point and their eventual hideout. The e-rickshaw, which might otherwise have gone unnoticed in the city’s daily traffic, emerged as a key investigative link.
Burqa and multiple locations under scanner
Shraddha had allegedly remained underground for 10 days, moving between Nepal, Agra, Lucknow and Kanpur before reaching Nagpur. Investigators suspect that she used different communication methods to avoid detection and wore a burqa while travelling with her sister and driver to conceal her identity.
These aspects are part of the investigation into how the suspects managed to remain out of police reach for so long. The precise sequence of their movements, the means of communication they allegedly used and the assistance, if any, they received while travelling are matters for investigators to establish.
Once the Chinchbhuvan flat was identified, the Crime Branch team placed the premises under surveillance instead of immediately moving in. Police personnel reportedly maintained a watch until members of the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) arrived, ensuring coordination between the two state police forces.
A joint team subsequently raided the flat and took all three into custody.
The suspects were expected to be produced before a court for transit remand before being taken to Lucknow on Wednesday for further investigation.
Death that triggered a nationwide manhunt
The case centres on the death of 27-year-old Shiva Sharma, a Lucknow businessman who owned a cafe and restaurants. He died on October 9 after allegedly falling from the fourth floor of Awadh Green Apartments in the Hazratganj area of Lucknow.
Shiva’s mother, Ranjana, accused Shraddha and her associates of murdering her son. She alleged that he had been subjected to harassment, threats and physical assault. Following the complaint, Lucknow Police registered a murder case and launched a search for the accused.
Shraddha subsequently released a video claiming that she was innocent and asserting that Sharma had died by suicide. Her claim contrasts with the murder allegations made by the deceased’s family, and the circumstances surrounding his death remain subject to police investigation.
Arrests open the next phase of probe
The arrests in Nagpur mark a significant breakthrough in the hunt for the accused, but they are only the beginning of the next phase of the investigation. Investigators will now seek to establish the events preceding Sharma’s death, examine the allegations made by his family and verify the accounts of the three suspects.
Their movements across multiple locations, the circumstances in which they reached Nagpur and the steps allegedly taken to avoid detection are also likely to come under scrutiny.
For Nagpur Police, the operation highlights the importance of inter-state coordination and technology-assisted investigation. The decisive clue was not an elaborate technical breakthrough but an ordinary e-rickshaw ride. Tracked through a network of CCTV cameras and supported by digital intelligence and field surveillance, that ride helped police locate three suspects allegedly attempting to stay beyond the reach of investigators.
The ultimate question in the Lucknow case, however, remains unanswered: what exactly happened before Shiva Sharma fell from the fourth floor? Investigators will now have to establish the sequence of events and determine the responsibility, if any, of those arrested.
