An old video shows the Lucknow businessman asking for a month to repay money. His family alleges murder; girlfriend Shraddha Dubey denies the charge.
“Within a month. I can give it in writing.”
Shiva Sharma appears dejected in the old video. A woman, reportedly his girlfriend Shraddha Dubey, is asking when he will return her money. The Lucknow restaurant owner offers an assurance, and his car.
“...and till then, keep my car. I will take back the car after giving you the money,” he says.
The video has surfaced after Sharma's death following a fall from Dubey's fourth-floor flat at Avadh Green Apartments on October 9. His family has accused the model and influencer of murdering him. Dubey, in videos released after his death, has denied the allegation and claimed he died by suicide.
Now, two CCTV clips purportedly from Nepal have brought a fresh turn to the case. They reportedly show three people resembling Dubey, her sister Rashmi and their associate Adil at a bus station. The footage and the identities of those seen in it have not been independently verified.
Investigators had reportedly been tracing their movements through Uttar Pradesh before the suspected border crossing.
The money dispute
The old recording captures a brief exchange over repayment.
“When will you return the money?” the female voice asks.
Sharma asks for a month, offers to put his promise in writing and says she can retain his car until he pays. The exchange does not specify the amount or explain the financial arrangement between them.
His mother, Ranjana Sharma, has alleged that Dubey threatened to circulate intimate videos of her son and defame him. She has also accused Dubey of subjecting him to physical violence during their relationship.
The family has named Shraddha, Rashmi, a driver identified as Danish, an associate named Adil and others in the murder case.
‘What have I done wrong?'
Dubey has rejected the family's accusations.
“What have I done wrong? I have done nothing,” she said in a roughly one-minute video, insisting that Sharma's death was a suicide.
She also appealed to people to stop linking her with senior officials and politicians.
“Please consider my current state; I am not in a good condition. I am not physically fit at this moment,” she said, adding that she had no involvement with those being named alongside her.
In a separate recording, Dubey described what she claimed happened before Sharma's death, beginning with two unanswered calls.
She said Sharma called her back around 2 am and asked to meet. They went to Peddler's Cafe, where, according to her, he ordered matcha for her and juice for himself. She claimed he had consumed several beers before their meeting.
They later went to her home.
“While he drove my car, my driver took his car,” she said.
According to Dubey, two of Sharma's friends — Ashwini Mishra and Harsh — joined them, and the group went for a long drive. She claimed she also spoke to his mother, sister and brother-in-law that day.
Defending Rashmi, she said her sister did not know Sharma well and had nothing to do with the case.
Dubey's account of October 9
Dubey claimed Sharma appeared depressed on October 9.
They woke up and made tea, she said. Sharma then went to the toilet and closed the main entrance — something she described as unusual for him.
After a while, she asked Rashmi to check on him. Dubey claimed her sister opened the entrance and saw him jump from the balcony.
She also alleged that Sharma had outstanding loans of ₹15–20 lakh and regularly received repayment calls.
Before meeting her, he had travelled with his sister and brother-in-law, possibly to Kedarnath, she said, claiming she had screenshots relating to his financial troubles.
Dubey alleged that Sharma had spoken of taking his life if he could not repay the loans. She said she had taken those remarks lightly.
Sharma's family, however, has accused her of murder.
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The reported Nepal trail
The latest CCTV clips are reportedly from Mahimnagar bus station in Nepal.
In the first, three people are seen crossing a road. The woman identified in reports as Shraddha wears black track pants and a zip-up jacket, with a black sling bag over her left shoulder.
The woman said to be Rashmi wears a cream-and-white printed kurti, dark sunglasses and a shoulder bag. A man identified as Adil follows them, wearing spectacles and a light blue-and-white striped shirt.
A second clip purportedly shows them travelling in an e-rickshaw, with the woman resembling Rashmi seated inside and the man identified as Adil at the front.
Police sources quoted in reports said teams had earlier tracked the trio to Sitapur and Lakhimpur Kheri, only to find they had moved on.
They reportedly travelled to Rupaidiha in Bahraich district and allegedly crossed into Nepal on foot. Those movements have not been independently verified.
Investigators are continuing to trace Dubey's whereabouts as they examine the circumstances of Sharma's death.
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