After nearly five months, Nagpur Police arrested shooter Hemant Shukla in Ludhiana, Punjab, about 1,400 km from Nagpur, for murdering photographer Vinay, also known as Bablu Poonekar. On February 23, Shukla, following orders from his lover Sakshi Grover, shot Poonekar twice at his home and fled with Sakshi on her scooter. Shukla had been on Nagpur Police’s most-wanted list since then.

Special teams from the Crime Branch and Sadar police searched for him in North India, including Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and near the Nepal border, questioning many of Shukla’s contacts. Despite evading capture three times by moving locations, police finally got a tip from a relative in Maihar, Madhya Pradesh.

Two of Shukla’s relatives were detained and brought to the city. They revealed Shukla’s phone number during questioning. Using mobile surveillance, police tracked Shukla, and a team that had been in Northern India for nearly 15 days got instructions from Nagpur headquarters. They quickly raided the house where Shukla was hiding. After his arrest, Shukla was brought to a Ludhiana court, and preparations began to transfer him to Nagpur. The police expect to arrive early Thursday morning.

Sakshi and Hemant first met at a gym in Katni, Madhya Pradesh, after she lost her husband four years ago. Her family found out about their relationship, leading to Hemant’s dismissal from the gym where he worked as an instructor. Hemant moved to Raipur but stayed in touch with Sakshi. About a year and a half ago, Sakshi told Hemant about her situation.

They planned a theft at her in-laws' house. Following Hemant’s instructions, Sakshi left the house door open during a nighttime walk, allowing Hemant to steal gold jewelry worth Rs 50 lakh from the cupboard. The family reported Rs 20 lakh missing. Hemant was arrested but reconnected with Sakshi after being released on bail. Sakshi moved to Nagpur last year, and Hemant visited her two to three times. They had been blackmailing Poonekar for the past two years. On February 23, Hemant, from Azamgarh, boldly entered Poonekar’s house in broad daylight and fatally shot him twice.