Vinay Poonekar murder case: Shooter Hemant Shukla held in Ludhiana

 

 

 

 

 

After a pursuit lasting nearly five months, Nagpur Police arrested shooter Hemant Shukla from Ludhiana, Punjab, about 1,400 km away from Nagpur, on charges of murdering photographer Vinay, also known as Bablu Poonekar. On February 23, Shukla, acting on instructions from his lover Sakshi Grover, fired two fatal shots at Vinay Poonekar at his residence. He then fled the scene with Sakshi on her two-wheeler. Since then, Shukla had been on Nagpur Police’s most-wanted list. Special teams from the Crime Branch and Sadar police had been searching for him in North India and conducted searches in Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and near Nepal border. During the operation, police interrogated dozens of persons related to Shukla. On three occasions, Shukla managed to evade capture by changing his location. However, this time, police received a specific lead from a relative of Shukla residing in Maihar, Madhya Pradesh.

 

Two of Shukla’s relatives were detained and brought to the city. During interrogation, they disclosed the phone number used by Shukla. Using mobile surveillance, police located Shukla, and a team that had been camping in Northern India for nearly 15 days received instructions from Nagpur headquarters. As a result, the police team quickly raided the house where Shukla was staying. After his arrest, Shukla was produced in a Ludhiana court and preparations began for his journey to Nagpur. The police are expected to arrive in the city early Thursday morning. It may be noted that Sakshi and Hemant first met at a gym in Katni, Madhya Pradesh, after she lost her husband four years ago. Sakshi’s relatives discovered their relationship which led to Hemant’s dismissal from the gym where he worked as an instructor. Hemant, later, moved to Raipur but remained in touch with Sakshi.