Son prime suspect in murder of Kanpur businessman
On the evening of 5 September, Vineet Manocha, 60, a pharmaceutical trader who ran a business on Birhana Road with his son, was stabbed to death in his apartment at Ratan Orbit in Kalyanpur. At first, it seemed like a sudden, violent attack. However, after several days of investigation, police now believe it was a family conspiracy involving debt, suspicion, and fear of losing property.
According to police, the victim’s son, Subrat Manocha, built up over Rs 40 lakh in debts from gambling and IPL betting. His father gave him about Rs 40,000 each month for expenses, but Subrat was paying around Rs 55,000 every month toward loan repayments. Investigators also believe Subrat feared his father might start living with another woman and transfer property to her.
Police say that financial pressure and worries about inheritance led Subrat to plan his father’s death. At first, he wanted it to look like an accident or natural causes, but the plan changed. The attack happened on 5 September inside the family’s apartment. The next day, police arrested Subrat’s wife, Shalu Manocha, and two alleged contract killers, Vishal and Rajkishore. Subrat was still a suspect. On 23 September, police arrested him and brought him to court the next day, where they sent him to judicial custody.
Commissioner of Police, Kanpur, Raghubir Lal said the conspiracy came to light through call records, CCTV footage, digital and scientific evidence, and other clues. Investigators found deleted chats between Subrat and Vishal. Their locations matched several times before the murder. A few days earlier, Vishal got a new SIM card, and his first call from it was to Subrat’s father, and he promised Rs 6 lakh.
Lal further alleged that Subrat instructed him to name Shalu if he was caught. Police are checking those claims against call records and other material. Recoveries added physical weight to the digital trail. Vishal was taken back to Ratan Orbit, where he indicated he had thrown a key while fleeing; police recovered it from an empty plot adjoining the complex.
Police took Rajkishore to Kanpur Central railway station, where they found his blood-stained trousers and a black scarf behind a public toilet, as he showed them. During questioning, Shalu broke down and told police she was implicated to protect her husband.
Investigators believe Subrat and Vishal tried to shift suspicion onto her. Commissioner Lal said there is not enough evidence yet to prove Shalu’s involvement.
She has not been cleared, but if a full review of all evidence does not show her role, police may submit a report to the court.
Police prepared over 100 questions about movements, phone calls, financial transactions, and connections. They questioned the suspects several times on the night of 23 September. After a medical check around 11 am on 24 September, police sent Shalu, Vishal, and Rajkishore back to jail when their 24-hour custody ended at noon. The investigation is still ongoing. Lal stressed that they will check every piece of evidence independently before reaching to a conclusion.
