Varanasi authorities have apprehended the primary suspect in the murder of Shreya Upadhyay, a 22-year-old MSc student. Her decomposed body was discovered in the washroom of a locked house last month. The arrest occurred during an encounter near Jagatdevpur on Monday morning, marking a significant development in the ongoing investigation.
A country-made .315-bore pistol, one empty cartridge and one live cartridge were recovered from him. Vivek was wanted in a case registered at Rajatalab police station under Sections 103(1), 3(5) and 238(a) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. The case relates to the murder of 22-year-old Shreya, a resident of Marui village under Rajatalab police station limits. Shreya, the only daughter of her family and an MSc chemistry student at Jagatpur PG College, went missing on Aug 18. Her decomposed body was found on Aug 20 inside the bathroom of a rented house in Bachhav Westpura under Rohania police station limits. Vivek planned the murder after the marriage was fixed and involved his friend Puneet Mishra from Mau by allegedly promising him Rs 22 lakh, according to police. On Aug 18, Vivek contacted Shreya while she was on her way to college and took her to the rented room.
Police said the accused opened fire while trying to flee during a checking operation and sustained a bullet injury in his right leg in retaliatory firing. Police said a separate case has been registered under the Arms Act. Vivek admitted during interrogation that he was upset after Shreya’s marriage was fixed with another man, according to police. Police said he wanted to marry her and had been pressuring her, but she refused. Investigators said Vivek, a distant relative of Shreya, had allegedly been keeping watch on her for a long time. Police said Puneet was already present there.
Rajatalab police arrested Vivek Choubey alias Nikhil, a resident of Niyar Dih under Cholapur police station in Varanasi, in connection with the murder. He was later admitted to the Community Health Centre, Jakkhini. He worked with a rural bank and stayed in a rented room in Bachhav during fieldwork. Shreya’s family alleged that Vivek had been blackmailing her. They claimed he had photographs clicked with her in wedding attire, edited them and threatened to make them viral if she married someone else. Shreya’s marriage had reportedly been fixed with a DRDO officer, with the engagement scheduled for Nov and the wedding in Feb. Puneet was reportedly facing financial difficulties. Vivek allegedly held Shreya’s hands while Puneet slit her throat with a knife. The body was left in the bathroom, and both accused fled.
Details of the Incident and Arrests
The postmortem report confirmed that the victim suffered multiple injuries, including a slit throat, head trauma, and potential signs of restraint on her legs. In connection with these findings, Puneet Mishra, 26, was apprehended by police following an encounter on August 24 and subsequently incarcerated. Ram Sahay Choubey, the father of the victim Vivek, was arrested three days later, on August 27, and is also in custody.
During the investigation, police examined around 150 CCTV clips and conducted raids at several possible locations, including Bihar, Jharkhand and Kolkata. You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Varanasi | Silver Rate in Varanasi | Bank Holidays in Varanasi | Public Holidays in Varanasi | Varanasi AQI | Weather in Varanasi | Petrol Price in Varanasi | Diesel Price in Varanasi | CNG Price in Varanasi | LPG Price in Varanasi Stay updated with the latest Varanasi news. Teams also gathered information from Vivek’s relatives, acquaintances and people who had been in contact with him. Download the TOI App.