Kanpur Pharma Businessman Murder: Daughter-In-Law Arrested Over Alleged ₹6 Lakh Contract Killing Plot

The murder of Uttar Pradesh-based pharmaceutical businessman Vineet Minocha inside his upscale Indira Nagar flat has taken a dramatic turn, with police arresting his daughter-in-law Shalu and alleging that she was involved in a conspiracy to have him killed.

Police suspect that Minocha's practice of monitoring family members through CCTV cameras, along with alleged resentment over financial restrictions, may have contributed to the conspiracy. The allegations are part of the ongoing investigation and have not been established in court.

CCTV Surveillance At Centre Of Probe

Minocha was found murdered after suffering severe injuries to his neck and chest. Investigators initially suspected that outsiders had carried out the attack, but CCTV footage, call records and digital evidence gradually shifted the focus towards people known to the family.

According to police, Minocha closely monitored his son and daughter-in-law's activities through cameras installed inside the house and also exercised considerable control over their spending.

Investigators suspect these restrictions may have created resentment within the family.

On Saturday, Minocha's son Subrat, Shalu and their six-year-old son left the house for a party at around 9.36 pm.

CCTV footage allegedly showed two men approaching the flat within minutes of their departure. Police suspect they entered using a duplicate key and hid inside, waiting for Minocha to return.

Minocha reached home at around 10.58 pm, after which the alleged attackers confronted him.

Murder Plan Allegedly Changed

According to investigators, the initial plan was allegedly to suffocate Minocha with a pillow while he slept and make his death appear natural.

The plan allegedly changed when Minocha walked towards the children's room and came face-to-face with the two men.

Police said he was subsequently attacked with knives, suffering fatal injuries to his neck and chest.

Former Employee Identified Through CCTV

CCTV footage allegedly helped investigators identify one of the suspects as Vishal Gautam, a former employee who had worked at Minocha's residence for around 12-13 years.

Police are examining his familiarity with the family and the layout of the flat as part of the investigation.

According to police, Gautam possessed a duplicate key to the residence and allegedly used it to enter the flat with his associate Raj Kishore.

The alleged use of the duplicate key has led investigators to suspect that the entry was pre-planned.

Daughter-In-Law's 309 Contacts With Former Employee

The investigation subsequently turned to the communication between Shalu and Gautam.

Police said the two were in contact around 309 times between May 1 and the day of the murder, through phone calls and WhatsApp calls.

Investigators have also reportedly recovered details of 49 deleted messages exchanged between them and are attempting to retrieve the contents through technical analysis.

Police suspect the communications could help establish whether and when the alleged murder plan was discussed.

₹6 Lakh Allegedly Agreed For Murder

According to the police investigation, a ₹6 lakh contract was allegedly agreed between the former employee and Shalu for Minocha's murder.

Police suspect ₹2 lakh was to be paid after the killing, with the remaining ₹4 lakh allegedly due around 15 days later.

DCP West Qasim Abidi said the two arrested suspects allegedly told investigators that Shalu had lured them with money and arranged for the murder.

Shalu was subsequently arrested in connection with the case.

The absence of any reported theft of cash or valuables from the flat has also prompted investigators to examine family-related motives rather than robbery as the primary reason behind the killing.

The investigation remains underway.