Kanpur millionaire's son arrested in murder case, 258 calls with accused under scanner

A CCTV system that had been switched off at the house of murdered Kanpur-based pharmaceutical trader Vineet Minocha's son and around 258 calls between him and a key accused have emerged as major clues in the investigation. The developments prompted police to arrest Subrat Minocha on Wednesday on suspicion of involvement in the alleged conspiracy.

Police arrested Subrat after questioning him alongside his wife Shalu and former employee Vishal. Investigators are examining the CCTV outage, the frequent calls between Subrat and Vishal and the accused's movements on the night of the murder as part of the probe. Subrat has not confessed to the murder, sources said.

Vineet Minocha, 63, was stabbed to death at his Kanpur home on the night of September 5 while his son Subrat and daughter-in-law Shalu were away at a party. Police later arrested former employee Vishal Gautam and his associate Raj Kishore, accusing the two of carrying out the killing after being hired to murder Vineet.

Shalu was subsequently arrested on allegations that she had plotted the murder and hired the two men, while Subrat's role has now come under scrutiny.

Police are also examining Subrat's links with Vishal, who had earlier been removed from his job after being accused of theft but allegedly remained in contact with Subrat and continued carrying out various tasks for him.

Investigators are also looking into an alleged workplace dispute between Subrat and his father. According to sources, Subrat was accused of selling items from his office without informing Vineet and keeping the proceeds. Vineet allegedly caught him over the issue on June 12 and reprimanded him.

WHY POLICE SUSPECTED SUBRAT

One of the key points being examined by investigators is the CCTV system installed at Subrat's house. According to police, the cameras had been out of service since July 22.

Investigators are examining whether the CCTV system was deliberately switched off. Police, however, have not conclusively established that the outage was intentional and said this would become clear as the investigation progresses.

Police are also reconstructing the movements of Subrat, Shalu, Vishal and the other accused on the night of the murder on September 5.

According to the police timeline, Subrat and Shalu left their house at 8:59 pm. Around 9:46 pm, Vishal and another accused allegedly entered Vineet Minocha's house. At 9:56 pm, Subrat and Shalu reached Cosmos Inn. Vineet Minocha entered the house around 10:58 pm.

Investigators are now trying to establish whether these movements were connected and how they fit into the sequence of events surrounding the murder.

258 CALLS BETWEEN SUBRAT AND VISHAL

Call records have emerged as another significant part of the investigation.

Police said around 28 calls were exchanged between Vishal and Shalu, while approximately 258 calls between Vishal and Subrat are being examined.

Investigators also found that Vishal allegedly used a new SIM card around the period before and after the murder. Police said five calls made from that number were placed only to Subrat's number.

The call records are being treated as circumstantial evidence, with investigators examining whether the frequency and timing of the communication have any connection with the murder.

VISHAL'S LINKS WITH SUBRAT

According to police, Vishal had earlier been removed from his job after being accused of theft. Despite this, he remained in contact with Subrat and continued carrying out various tasks for him.

Sources said Vishal had also called and messaged Vineet and Nisha several times seeking forgiveness, after which Vineet allegedly blocked him.

Police are now examining the nature of Vishal's relationship with Subrat and whether their continued communication had any connection with the murder.

WHY DID SUBRAT AND SHALU INITIALLY DENY RECOGNISING VISHAL?

Investigators are also examining why Subrat and Shalu initially denied recognising Vishal when shown his CCTV image.

According to sources, Shalu later identified Vishal when shown the image for the second and third time.

Police are now trying to establish why the two did not identify Vishal initially, despite Subrat being known to have been in contact with him.

FINANCIAL PRESSURE UNDER THE SCANNER

Police are also examining Subrat's financial circumstances as a possible angle in the case.

According to police sources, Subrat received around Rs 25,000 from his father, while Shalu received around Rs 15,000. Investigators are looking into whether their financial requirements exceeded these amounts.

Police are also examining an alleged workplace dispute involving Subrat. According to sources, he was accused of selling items from his office without informing his father and keeping the proceeds.

Vineet allegedly caught Subrat over the issue on June 12 and reprimanded him.

SUBRAT HAD OVER RS 20 LAKH IN DEBT

According to sources, Subrat had debts exceeding Rs 20 lakh. Investigators are examining borrowings including around Rs 5 lakh from Money View, Rs 75,000 from ICICI, around Rs 3 lakh from Navi and approximately Rs 9.5 lakh borrowed from a friend, Harshit.

Police are also looking into allegations that Subrat consumed alcohol and gambled, and whether his spending habits and financial liabilities contributed to financial pressure.

GOA TRIP AND MISSED AWARD CEREMONY

According to sources, Subrat had travelled to Goa to receive an award from Pfizer.

Police investigations have reportedly found that he went drinking and visited a casino during the trip and, allegedly because of excessive intoxication, failed to attend the award ceremony the following day.

With Subrat's arrest, investigators are now attempting to connect multiple strands of the case — his communication with Vishal, the CCTV outage at his house, the call records, his financial liabilities and the movements of the accused on the night of the murder.

Police are examining whether these circumstances establish Subrat's alleged role in the conspiracy and how, if at all, he was connected to the events surrounding his father Vineet's murder.