Kanpur murder twist: Husband arrested after wife spent weeks in jail

A murder investigation in the northern Indian city of Kanpur has taken a dramatic turn after police arrested the husband of a woman who had spent nearly three weeks in jail over the killing of her father-in-law.

Subrat Minocha was arrested on Thursday in connection with the murder of his father, pharmaceutical businessman Vineet Minocha. Police allege that Subrat planned the killing and instructed the alleged attackers to frame his wife, Shalu, for the crime.

The development came nearly three weeks after Shalu was arrested and accused of hiring two men to kill Vineet. Her family had maintained that she was innocent and had repeatedly sought a fair investigation.

“We always believed Shalu was innocent, but we never expected Subrat could be involved,” her elder brother, Dheeraj Arora, told The Indian Express.

Murder investigation

Vineet, a pharmaceutical businessman, was found dead at his apartment in Kanpur’s Kalyanpur area on September 6. Police said he had suffered 26 stab wounds.

Investigators initially arrested Shalu and two men, Vishal Gautam and Raj Kishore. Vishal, a former employee at Vineet’s pharmacy, had allegedly told police that Shalu hired him for Rs6 lakh to carry out the killing.

Shalu denied the allegation

The investigation changed direction during police questioning, when investigators confronted Subrat with the other accused. Police said Vishal subsequently alleged that it was Subrat who had hired him and instructed him to blame Shalu if they were caught.

Police are also examining call records, CCTV footage and other electronic and circumstantial evidence. One report said investigators found frequent contact between Subrat and Vishal before the killing.

Wife's role being re-examined

Police have said they will re-examine Shalu’s alleged involvement before moving to have her cleared in the case. However, officers have stressed that she has not yet received a formal clean chit and that her role will ultimately depend on the evidence and court proceedings.

Shalu, 30, married Subrat in 2020 in an arranged marriage and moved to Kanpur after the wedding, according to her family. Their five-year-old son is now staying with her brother, Dheeraj.

The case remains under investigation, with police continuing to verify the competing accounts and the evidence surrounding Vineet’s killing.

 With inputs from Agencies