LUCKNOW: The Nagpur court on Wednesday granted three-day transit remand to the Uttar Pradesh Police for Shraddha Dubey and two other accused in the murder case of Shiva Sharma. Police have left for Lucknow with all three.
Dubey, her sister Rashmi Dubey and their driver Danish were arrested on Tuesday in a joint operation by the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (UPSTF) and Lucknow Police.
The three accused had been absconding, with a reward of Rs 50,000 announced for each of them. They were apprehended after intensive raids at multiple locations.
A murder case was registered at the Hazratganj police station on October 9 under Section 103(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), following a written complaint filed by the victim's mother, Ranjana Sharma.
Lucknow Police had initially announced a reward of Rs 25,000 for information leading to the accused, which was later increased to Rs 50,000. Specialised teams, including surveillance units, the Special Operations Group (SOG) and local police, were deployed to trace them.
On Tuesday, following the arrest of the three absconding accused, Ranjana Sharma expressed gratitude to the police, the Special Task Force and Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath.
She described the arrests as the "first step toward justice" on the day of Vijayadashami.
Speaking to ANI, Ranjana said the case would now proceed according to due process of law and expressed faith that justice would be served.
"I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to everyone— the police, the STF, the administration, CM Yogi Adityanath, and all those who supported us. It is significant that today is the day of Vijayadashami, and this marks the first step toward justice for Shiva. Following this arrest, the case will proceed according to the due process of law. As for the harassment, there are many other videos currently in people's possession. I have full faith that justice will be served," she said.
Uttar Pradesh additional director general of police (Law and Order) Amitabh Yash said Shraddha Dubey had evaded arrest by consistently wearing a burqa, minimising her use of communication devices, limiting interactions and staying in low-end hotels with minimal surveillance.
"She will now be brought to Lucknow on transit remand, where the Lucknow Police will conduct interrogations and advance the investigation. To evade the police and remain on the run, she consistently wore a burqa, minimized the use of communication devices, and kept her interactions with others to an absolute minimum. She chose to stay in low-end hotels—places with minimal surveillance and less police oversight," he told reporters.
Yash also said police had received information that Shraddha Dubey had gone to Nepal before returning. "This was likely an attempt to throw the police off her trail," he said.
(With inputs from ANI)