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The main accused in the murder of 22-year-old M.Sc. student Shreya Upadhyay was arrested following a police encounter in Varanasi's Rajatalab area on Monday, police said.
The accused, identified as Vivek Choubey alias Nikhil, was shot in the right leg after he allegedly opened fire at a police team while attempting to escape during a checking operation near Jagatdevpur. He was subsequently taken to the Community Health Centre, Jakhini, for treatment. Police said a country-made .315 bore pistol, one empty cartridge and one live cartridge were recovered from his possession. According to police, an FIR was registered at Rajatalab Police Station on August 18 in connection with Shreya Upadhyay's disappearance. Her body was recovered on August 20 from Bachhav Paschimpura under Rohaniya Police Station limits. Following the recovery, senior police officials formed four teams comprising personnel from Rajatalab Police Station and the Special Operations Group (SOG) to trace the accused. Police said two other accused in the case, Puneet Mishra and Ramsahay Choubey, had already been arrested on August 24 and August 27, respectively. On Monday, the Rajatalab police team received information that Vivek Choubey was travelling towards Jagatdevpur. During checking, a suspicious person allegedly fled after seeing the police team. Police said that when the team chased him, he opened fire with an intention to kill. The police retaliated in self-defence, during which Choubey sustained a gunshot injury to his right leg. During interrogation, Choubey allegedly told police that he and his accomplice Puneet Mishra murdered Shreya Upadhyay on August 18 after becoming angry over her marriage being arranged elsewhere. Police said further investigation is underway to verify the information provided during interrogation and collect additional evidence. A separate case has also been registered under relevant provisions of the Arms Act in connection with the firearm recovery. The arrested accused was wanted in FIR No. 157/2026, registered at Rajatalab Police Station under Sections 103(1), 3(5) and 238(A) of the BNS. (ANI)
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