Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], October 18 : Shraddha Dubey, one of the three accused in the alleged murder of businessman Shiva Sharma, claimed that the victim died by suicide and that CCTV footage from her building will prove her innocence.
Speaking to ANI, Sharma questioned why the footage had not been retrieved, claiming that she had known Sharma for only four months, alleging that Sharma's mother had made false accusations "because she never liked me
"I have known this individual (Shiva Sharma) for only four months; for about two to two-and-a-half of those months, we were friends. He never visited my home. He only started coming over in the last two months—and surely, things couldn't have deteriorated so drastically in such a short time that we would harbor such intentions toward one another. His mother has made false accusations because she never liked me," she said. 
"All the allegations are baseless. Just because someone claims we committed murder doesn't mean we did. It was a suicide; I witnessed him jump from the fourth floor of my building. If the CCTV footage from my building is retrieved, it will clearly prove my innocence—yet, for some reason, that footage hasn't been accessed yet. Footage from the Nepal border has been obtained, so why is there an issue with accessing the footage from my own building? Once it is retrieved, my innocence will be clear, as I have done nothing wrong," she added. 
Meanwhile, the Lucknow Police have increased the reward for accused Shraddha Dubey and her associates, with a reward of Rs 50,000 now announced for each of them. The reward was earlier Rs 25,000 each.
A court in Saharanpur has issued a notice to one of the accused. The court has scheduled a hearing for October 30 and has directed Shraddha Dubey to present her side on that date.
DCP Central Vikrant Veer said teams are raiding all possible hideouts. "We are hopeful that they will be apprehended soon," he said, adding that police were increasing the reward amount.
"Shraddha Dubey, Rashmi Dubey, and the driver, Danish—our police teams are actively searching for them. We are conducting raids at all their potential hideouts, and we are hopeful that they will be apprehended soon," he said. 
Veer said police have received a surrender application from one of the accused as raids continue. 
"We are conducting regular raids and expect to apprehend these suspects shortly. We have received a surrender application from one of the accused, and the necessary legal procedures are being followed. We will keep you informed of any further developments. As of now, no one has been taken into custody," he said. 
A murder case was registered at Hazratganj police station on a written complaint by Sharma's mother. It names his friend Shraddha Dubey, her sister Rashmi Dubey, the driver Danish and some unidentified persons as accused, police said. 
On October 17, DCP said all three had been absconding since the case was registered. Police formed dedicated teams, including surveillance units, the Special Operations Group (SOG) and local police units, to trace them.
The investigating officer has also obtained non-bailable warrants against all three from the court.
"It is revealed that he sustained injuries after falling from a height onto a rough surface, which led to his death," DCP Vikrant Veer said earlier. 
Further details are awaited.