‘Killer bahu’: Woman danced to ‘Tum To Dhokhebaaz Ho’ as hired assailants stabbed father-in-law 26 times | Kanpur News
KANPUR: A woman accused of masterminding the murder of her 63-year-old father-in-law was allegedly dancing at a lounge with her husband around the same time the killing was taking place, with police now claiming she remained in contact with the alleged assailants during the crime.A video of Shalu Minocha dancing at a lounge in Kanpur on the night her father-in-law, Vineet Minocha, was murdered surfaced on social media on Wednesday and went viral. Police said the footage, recorded by lounge staff, confirms that Shalu and her husband Subrat were at Cosmozin Lounge in Tilak Nagar that night.According to investigators, however, Shalu allegedly stayed in touch with the men she had hired to kill Vineet through WhatsApp calls, messages and voice calls and even guided them while she was at the party.The lounge’s CCTV DVR was found to have no stored footage, but videos recorded by the staff showed around 20-25 people, mostly couples, dancing to Bollywood songs. Shalu was seen wearing a dark purple gown while her husband was dressed in a grey shirt.In one of the videos, the couple is seen dancing to the song Tum To Dhokhebaaz Ho, Vaada Karke Bhool Jaate Ho. Police said nothing about Shalu’s behaviour appeared unusual and other guests at the lounge seemed unaware of what was allegedly unfolding at her home.
Murder allegedly planned over CCTV cameras
Police arrested Shalu on Monday, alleging that she had masterminded the murder of her father-in-law after a former employee of Vineet claimed she had offered him Rs 6 lakh for the killing.Investigators suspect the alleged murder was linked to a dispute over CCTV cameras that Vineet had installed inside their apartment about 15-20 days before his death. Police said Shalu objected to the cameras, claiming they violated her privacy and caused her emotional distress.According to police, Shalu approached Vishal Gautam, a former employee at Vineet’s pharmaceutical store, and allegedly gave him the original key to the family’s apartment so that a duplicate could be made.Vishal then allegedly roped in his unemployed acquaintance Raj Kishor, 30, promising him an advance of Rs 30,000.Police said that on September 5, Shalu informed the accused that she, her husband and their son would be attending a party. She allegedly facilitated their entry into Ratan Orbit Apartment in Kalyanpur despite initial resistance from the security guard.The duo allegedly told the guard that they were delivering medicines, with Vishal registering himself under the fictitious name Shivam.
Plan was to make murder look like heart attack
According to investigators, Vishal and Raj hid inside a bedroom after entering the apartment using the duplicate key.Police said Shalu had allegedly instructed them to suffocate Vineet with a pillow so that his death would appear to be from a heart attack.The plan allegedly went awry when Vineet entered the bedroom around 11pm and noticed something unusual.DCP West SM Qasim Abidi said the two men panicked and allegedly attacked Vineet with knives before fleeing the apartment by jumping over the rear wall.The postmortem later revealed 26 stab wounds on Vineet’s body.Police said the murder took place sometime between 10.30pm on Saturday and 3am on Sunday while Vineet was alone in the four-room apartment.Shalu and Subrat returned from the party and found Vineet’s bloodied body before alerting police.
Nothing stolen from house
Investigators said CCTV footage showed Vishal and Raj leaving the apartment after the murder. They were arrested following an encounter late Sunday.After receiving medical treatment, Vishal allegedly told police that he had killed Vineet on Shalu’s instructions in return for money.Police said nothing was stolen from the apartment, strengthening their suspicion that the killing was motivated by personal enmity rather than robbery. Section 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, relating to criminal conspiracy, has also been added to the case.Police said Shalu allegedly admitted her involvement in the presence of female police personnel after being confronted with Vishal.The investigation is continuing, with police examining the alleged communications between Shalu and the assailants as well as the circumstances surrounding the murder.
