Kanpur Millionaire Murder Case: Son Subrat Under Scanner Over Call Logs To Shooter; Police Investigate Conspiracy Theory

Home / News updates Kanpur Millionaire Murder Case: Son Subrat Under Scanner Over Call Logs To Shooter; Police Investigate Conspiracy Theory X Kanpur Businessman's Murder: Son Under Scanner Over 309 Calls With Shooter Kanpur police widen the Vineet Manocha murder probe to his son Subrat after uncovering 309 calls with the shooter and unexplained contact from a SIM bought two days before the killing. The investigation into the murder of Kanpur-based pharmaceutical trader Vineet Manocha has widened, with police now examining whether his son Subrat had a role in the killing after discovering that Subrat and shooter Vishal Gautam spoke to each other 309 times between May 1 and September 5, the night Manocha was killed. The fresh scrutiny follows the discovery that Vishal made six calls to Subrat from a newly purchased SIM in the days leading up to the murder. Police Commissioner Raghubir Lal said Vishal bought the SIM on September 3, two days before the killing, and that the number was later used to contact both Manocha's daughter-in-law Shalu and Subrat. Lal said that if Shalu had planned the murder and Vishal had bought a new number for the crime, investigators needed to establish why calls were still being placed from that number to Subrat. He confirmed Subrat's possible involvement was now under examination. Police have separately obtained call detail records of seven mobile numbers linked to Subrat, Shalu and Vishal, covering the period from May 1 to September 6. The records run to nearly a thousand pages and are being analysed to map the pattern and frequency of communication between the three both before and after the murder. Manocha, 60, who ran a well-known pharmaceutical business on Birhana Road along with his son, was stabbed to death in the early hours of September 5. Shalu, Vishal and an associate, Raj Kishore, have already been arrested and are currently lodged in jail in connection with the case. Vishal had previously been employed with Manocha's firm but was let go over allegations of theft. Despite the fallout, police said, he had stayed in touch with Subrat in the period that followed. As part of the ongoing probe, Kalyanpur Station House Officer Keshav Tiwari questioned Shalu and Vishal inside jail after securing the requisite court permission. The two were reportedly asked more than thirty questions covering the alleged conspiracy, their communications with one another, and their movements before and after the murder. While Shalu has denied any role in planning the killing, police said Vishal has told investigators that he carried out the murder at her instance, claiming she had promised him a payment of Rs 6 lakh along with a job in return. Police have also sought custody remand of both Shalu and Vishal, which Lal indicated was likely to be granted within two days. Once secured, investigators are expected to cross-question Subrat in the presence of the two accused. Separately, investigators are cross-checking the statements given by the accused against available CCTV footage, including Subrat's own account of how he came to identify Vishal as the individual who had entered the premises on the night of the murder. Police are also independently tracing Vishal's movements in the aftermath of the killing. He is said to have called his associate Raj Kishore five times and to have travelled to a hideout in an Uber cab. Investigators are now examining the cab's route, recording the driver's statement, and scrutinising the digital payment trail linked to the ride. Lal dismissed as a rumour reports that Shalu had searched online for methods to kill someone and stage the death as a suicide or a heart attack, though digital evidence from her phone was still being examined. Shalu's lawyer, Shivakant Dixit, has separately raised questions about how the police handled her seized phone, pointing out that its Instagram account showed activity at 10:03 am on September 6, after she had already been taken into custody. He has al