By Shishir Prashant 
PrashantNews
Model and social media influencer Shraddha Dubey, who had been on the run for 11 days in connection with the alleged murder of Lucknow cafe owner Shiva Sharma, was arrested in Nagpur on Tuesday along with her sister Rashmi Dubey and driver Tanveer Ali alias Danish, police said.
A joint team of the Lucknow Police and the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF), with assistance from Nagpur Police, traced the three to a flat in Nagpur and arrested them. They will be taken to Lucknow on transit remand for further investigation.
The arrests came after an intensive search across several locations following Sharma’s death on October 9. Police had announced a reward of Rs 50,000 each for information leading to the arrest of the three and obtained non-bailable warrants against them.
Sharma, a cafe owner aged 27 died after falling from the fourth floor of Awadh Green Apartments in the Hazratganj area of Lucknow on the night of October 9. He was reportedly in a live-in relationship with Dubey, who was staying in a rented apartment in the building. Her sister had also been staying with them, according to reports.
The incident initially came to light as a fatal fall. However, Sharma’s mother, Ranjana Sharma, subsequently lodged a complaint alleging that her son had been murdered. His family suspected that he had been assaulted and pushed from the building.
Following the complaint, the police registered a murder case against Dubey, her sister, their driver and two unidentified persons. The investigation subsequently focused on the circumstances leading to Sharma’s fall and the alleged roles of those named in the complaint.
While evading arrest, Dubey circulated or gave interviews in which she denied involvement in Sharma’s death and claimed that he had died by suicide.
According to her account, Sharma went into a bathroom at her residence on October 9 and locked the door. She said she asked her sister to check on him, but before they could open the door, Sharma jumped from the balcony.
Dubey also claimed that Sharma was under financial pressure and owed between Rs 15 lakh and Rs 20 lakh. She alleged that he had spoken about ending his life if he could not repay his debts.
She denied allegations that Sharma had been assaulted or tortured and maintained that CCTV footage and his mobile phone records would help establish what had happened.
These claims have not been established independently, and the police investigation is expected to examine them alongside the family’s allegations.