LUCKNOW Returning quietly from Nepal on October 16 while police still believed she was abroad, model Shraddha Dubey kept ahead of investigators for four days through calculated moves and deception. Travelling across Uttar Pradesh with her sister and driver, the main accused in cafe owner Shiva Sharma’s death used an alias at an Agra hotel, slipped into Lucknow to sign anticipatory bail papers and ditched a slow cab in Kanpur during a cross-country dash that eventually ended with her arrest in Nagpur.
An investigation timeline and route plan, based on inputs given by the influencer to interrogation officers on Thursday at Hazratganj police station, suggested that Dubey, her sister Rashmi and their driver Danish spent around six days in Nepal before returning to India on October 16. Over the next few days, the trio allegedly travelled through Rae Bareli, Agra, Lucknow and Kanpur before taking a route through Fatehpur and Satna in Madhya Pradesh to reach Nagpur.
The movements raise questions about how long investigators continued to pursue the Nepal lead after the accused had allegedly returned to Uttar Pradesh.
On October 16, Lucknow police commissioner Tarun Gauba told media persons that Dubey’s last known location had been traced to Nepal and that the police were coordinating with Nepal police. A day later, the then DCP (Central) Vikrant Vir said the police were in coordination with their Nepal counterparts.
However, according to the investigation timeline shared by a senior officer to HT, Dubey had reached Rae Bareli on October 16, before moving on to Agra the following day.
An assumed name in Agra
On October 17, the accused allegedly checked into a small hotel in Agra, where the name “Devraj” was entered in the register, sources said. The two sisters reportedly entered the hotel with their faces covered and remained inside the room during their 24-hour stay.
They resumed their journey on October 18, travelling to Lucknow before heading towards Kanpur. During her brief return to the state capital, Dubey allegedly met a lawyer and signed documents linked to the process of seeking anticipatory bail and surrendering, according to sources. She also gave a video interview to a news agency without disclosing her location, before leaving Lucknow by taxi.
A change of vehicle, then Nagpur
The three reached Kanpur on October 18 and stayed there for some time before continuing towards Nagpur via Fatehpur and Satna, Madhya Pradesh, sources said. As the taxi driver was driving slowly, Dubey allegedly abandoned the vehicle in Kanpur and hired another taxi to continue the journey. She eventually reached Nagpur, where she reportedly rented a flat on the 11th floor. The precise date of her arrival needs to be confirmed, with sources placing it around October 19-20.
Dubey was arrested in Nagpur on October 20 along with her sister and their driver. The three were subsequently produced before a court, which granted Uttar Pradesh police transit remand to bring them to the state for further investigation.
The route allegedly taken by the accused from the Nepal border back into Uttar Pradesh, followed by a journey across central India to Nagpur is now a key part of the investigation into how the group moved between locations before its arrest.
SHRADDHA’S ROUTE: NEPAL TO NAGPUR
OCT 9 | LUCKNOW: Left Lucknow late at night
OCT 10 | RUPAIDIHA, BAHRAICH: Spotted near the Nepal border at 6.30am
OCT 10-16 | NEPAL stay for nearly six days with her sister and driver, sources say
OCT 16 RAE BARELI: Returned to UP, according to the investigation timeline
OCT 17 | AGRA: Checked into a small hotel using the name “Devraj”, sources say
OCT 18 | LUCKNOW: Met a lawyer; gave a video interview
OCT 18 | KANPUR: Changed taxis before continuing the journey via Fathepur, Satna (MP) route towards Nagpur
OCT 19–20 | NAGPUR: Reportedly rented a flat on the 11th floor
OCT 20 | ARRESTED: UP police arrested Shraddha, her sister and their driver
