Nagpur: Despite nearly a month passing since the brutal murder of Nagpur photographer Vinay Poonekar at his Raj Nagar residence on February 24, the primary suspect, Hemant Shukla, remains at large, raising serious concerns over the effectiveness of the Nagpur police in apprehending him.
Efforts to track Hemant Shukla, who gunned down Poonekar, have yielded little progress, leaving the Nagpur police unable to provide necessary support to the team deployed in North India for his capture. Shukla’s ability to evade police detection has earned him the label of a ‘clever criminal’. His elusiveness has hampered the ongoing investigation, leaving law enforcement officials grappling with unanswered questions regarding the motive behind Poonekar’s murder.
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Sakshi Grover, the sole arrested suspect in the case, has remained tight-lipped during custodial interrogation, failing to provide insights into the motive behind the killing. Reports suggest that she cited threats from Shukla, her alleged paramour, as the reason for her silence. It has come to light that Poonekar had previously filed complaints against Sakshi at the Cyber Cell of Nagpur Police approximately a year ago.
Despite police efforts, including visits to Shukla’s home in Madhya Pradesh, authorities have been unable to trace him. Investigations revealed that Shukla had not returned to his parents’ residence for the past five years. Originating from a farming background, Shukla had left his village in pursuit of financial gain but has since been implicated in criminal activities.
The ongoing pursuit of Hemant Shukla underscores the challenges faced by law enforcement agencies in apprehending individuals adept at evading capture. With crucial details surrounding the motive for Vinay Poonekar’s murder still unclear, the search for Shukla remains a top priority for the Nagpur police.
As the investigation into this heinous crime continues, authorities are urging anyone with information regarding Hemant Shukla’s whereabouts to come forward and assist in bringing closure to this tragic case. Despite the obstacles encountered thus far, the determination of law enforcement officials remains unwavering as they strive to ensure justice for the victim and his family.
The Nagpur police technical team which was tasked with a smarter analysis of the call details records (CDR), prompt identification of tower locations of mobile phones used by Shukla, zeroing in on the most-called persons, tracking their movements and digitally cornering the accused to a small zone seemed to have failed to generate any substantial inputs and help track down Shukla. These shortcomings have posed a hindrance to the on-field team which is now moving in different places across north India but is unable to land in the zone closest to Shukla.
The exit of key members of previous technical surveillance team, owing to the pre-election shuffle of the police personnel, seemed to have become a challenge now for the city police especially in cases where an accused like Shukla needs to be nabbed from undisclosed locations in different states.
It’s reported that Shukla, who is now on the run, is frequently changing mobile handsets and SIM cards for making calls. Though cops are aware of the calls being made and Shukla’s movements, he seems to be a step ahead and outsmarting cops by changing his current location swiftly.
