Shalu Minocha
Kanpur: Twenty-one days after being arrested in connection with the murder of her billionaire father-in-law,Vineet Minocha, Shalu (30)was released from judicial custody on Monday after the chief judicial magistrate (CJM), Kanpur Nagar, ordered her release following a police closure report stating that there was no evidence against her. Police now claim that she was arrested on Sept 7 on the statement of Vineet’s former employee Vishal – one of the two contract killers arrested for the murder. In a dramatic turnaround in the investigation into the murder of 63-year-old Kanpur pharmaceutical trader Vineet, police arrested his son Subrat (34) on Sept 24 , alleging he masterminded the conspiracy, hired the two assassins and instructed them to name his wife Shalu if the plot was uncovered. Officers stressed that Shalu was earlier suspected to have hired the killers for Rs 6 lakh. Subrat was allegedly involved in IPL betting, gambling and intoxicants and had accumulated debts of more than Rs 40 lakh. Subrat received Rs 40,000 a month from his father but had to cough up Rs 55,000 in debt repayments, according to the investigators. However, call records indicated over 300 conversations between Subrat and Vishal, the highest among all numbers examined. Investigators said Vishal bought a new SIM on Sept 3, two days before the murder.
However, subsequent investigations revealed that Shalu was not involved in the crime and hence her release had been sought.
Investigators said Subrat wanted to eliminate hurdles his father was allegedly creating in the way of his lavish lifestyle. The police said Subrat initially refused to identify the killers despite having spoken to Vishal so many times in a bid to dodge the investigators. Vishal reportedly told the cops he stayed in contact with Subrat despite being sacked by Vineet from his shop five years ago.
Vishal and Raj were arrested initially, followed by Shalu after the duo named her.
The court subsequently sent a release memo to Kanpur jail, following which she was released in the evening. Her family members, particularly her brother Dheeraj Arora, completed the bond formalities.
The court ordered her release on a personal bond of Rs 50,000 and directed her to appear whenever summoned. After examining the closure report, the CJM observed that the police investigation had found no evidence of Shalu’s involvement in the case.