Model Shraddha Dubey, a key accused in the death of Lucknow-based businessman Shiva Sharma, has been arrested in Nagpur along with her sister Rashmi Dubey and driver Danish, Uttar Pradesh Police said on Tuesday.

The three accused, who had been absconding since the registration of the case, were apprehended by the Lucknow Police and the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) with the assistance of Nagpur Police on Tuesday.

A reward of Rs 50,000 each had been announced for information leading to their arrest.

Following her arrest, Shraddha Dubey has been brought to Bell Road Police Station on Wardha Road in Nagpur, where she is currently being questioned.

Officials of the Uttar Pradesh STF and Nagpur Police are present at the police station and are jointly questioning her.

According to the police, a case under Section 103(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) was registered at the Hazratganj Police Station on October 9 on the basis of a written complaint filed by Ranjana Sharma.

The accused are being taken through the necessary legal formalities before being brought to Lucknow for further investigation into Sharma’s death.

Meanwhile, fresh details have emerged about Dubey’s movements during her absconding period.

According to media reports, she stayed for nearly 24 hours at a hotel in Taj Nagari Phase-I in Agra.

The reports claimed that CCTV footage showed a vehicle allegedly linked to Dubey arriving at the hotel at 6:33 a.m. on October 17. Around 20 minutes later, at 6.53 a.m., a woman identified as Dubey reportedly entered the premises. The vehicle’s registration number was reported to be UP32RT8043.

During her absconding period, Dubey had released a video appealing against linking her name with influential individuals.

An earlier viral audio recording, purportedly featuring her threatening Sharma, had also surfaced, in which she was allegedly heard referring to complaining about him to a ‘sir’.

Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka are set to move the Delhi High Court seeking their release, challenging the Special Executive Magistrate (SEM) court’s order extending their judicial custody in connection with the Jantar Mantar trespassing case.

The move comes a day after the SEM court extended the judicial custody of the two till October 21, observing that their conduct “shows no respect for law” and reflects their “habitualness in calling protest at de-notified areas”.

The two CJP leaders were sent to judicial custody till October 21 by SEM Ritu Raj at Mandir Marg police station after their earlier five-day judicial custody ended on Monday.

In its order, the SEM court said the investigating officer had placed substantial material on record, raising concerns over the likelihood of a breach of peace and disturbance of public tranquillity.

It also recorded that the two leaders had allegedly breached the bonds furnished by them before the SEM, South-West District, on October 11 and subsequently committed a breach of peace in the present case.

The court further observed that their assurance that they would not repeat the alleged offence did not inspire confidence in view of their past conduct and the material placed on record by the investigating officer.

Das and Ranka, along with party member Ajinkya Shinde, were among 14 people detained on October 13 after they entered Jantar Mantar through private premises and obstructed police personnel from discharging their official duties.

The CJP members were protesting against alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and had raised slogans against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.

Delhi Police had justified their continued custody, citing repeated violations of law and apprehensions that their release could lead to further violations and instigation of others.

The SEM court had also found the sureties furnished on behalf of the two leaders unfit following an inquiry, citing discrepancies in identity documents and their inability to provide basic details about the persons for whom they stood surety. It directed them to furnish fresh sureties.

Dussehra celebrations across India will feature the burning of giant effigies of Ravana, Kumbhakarna and Meghnad, while Delhi’s Pitampura will witness the burning of a 30-foot cockroach effigy as part of an unusual tradition. Preparations have been completed across Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Bihar and Jharkhand. However, a village in Madhya Pradesh will observe the festival by worshipping Ravana instead of burning his effigy.

In Ayodhya, the Rajendra Niwas Ramlila Committee has prepared a 32-foot Ravana effigy, with the burning ceremony scheduled for 10 pm. This year, Muslim artisans have been entrusted with making the effigy, committee patron Prabhakar Mishra said.

In Lucknow, a 75-foot Ravana effigy featuring mechanical components has been prepared at the Ramlila Maidan. The organisers said the effigy would convey a message against what they described as “anti-national” and “anti-Sanatan” elements and “intellectual Naxalism”.

In Dehradun, Ravana’s effigy will be burnt at Hindu National Inter College in Laxman Chowk. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami is scheduled to attend the event organised by the Laxman Chowk Welfare Society.

In Kashipur, 55-foot Ravana and 50-foot Kumbhakarna effigies will be burnt at 7.30 pm, followed by fireworks.

Srinagar will host its historic Dussehra celebrations with a 50-foot Ravana effigy for the first time. Effigies of Kumbhakarna and Meghnad, measuring 45 feet and 35 feet, respectively, have also been prepared at the Ramlila Ground.

In Madhya Pradesh’s Bhatkhedi (Ravan Wali) village in Rajgarh district, residents follow a different tradition by worshipping Ravana and Kumbhakarna. Villagers believe Ravana fulfils their wishes, and devotees offer prayers and prasad when their wishes are granted.

Ahead of the festival, the idols of Ravana and Kumbhakarna are repainted. On Dussehra, performers playing Lord Ram and Lakshman touch the idols with spears as villagers pray for prosperity.

In Patna, preparations have been completed for the annual Ravana Dahan ceremony at the historic Gandhi Maidan, where a large turnout is expected.

In Ranchi, the Punjabi Hindu Biradari will organise the traditional Ravana Dahan at Morabadi Maidan. Jharkhand Governor Santosh Kumar Gangwar is scheduled to attend the event. The effigies of Ravana, Kumbhakarna and Meghnad measure 70 feet, 65 feet and 60 feet, respectively. Ramlila performances, cultural programmes and fireworks will be among the main attractions.