Model murder case with crime branch

The murder case of the 26-year-old model Meenakshi Thapa, who was murdered by a couple associated with film industry in March, was on Wednesday handed over to the crime branch after her family members met police commissioner Arup Patnaik, urging for the transfer “for a better and flawless probe”.

Thapa’s mother Kamladevi, 56, brother Navraj, an Indian Army personnel and a few Nepali nationals visited the police commissioner with a request from a senior Army officer to “probe the case from all possible angles and help getting justice to Thapa family”. The case which is presently with the Amboli police was then referred to the crime branch by Patnaik.

“While the probe so far has been up to the mark, some of my daughter’s belongings are still missing. Also, we suspect more people could be involved in the crime, hence we met the police chief,” said Kamladevi.

A native of Dehra Dun, Thapa was staying in the Lokhandwala area. The crime branch in April arrested Amit Jaiswal, 36, and Preeti Elvina Surin, 26, both native of Allahabad, for their alleged involvement in the murder. A practising advocate in Allahabad, Jaiswal ran the Jaiswal Classes, where Surin worked.

On March 13, the couple left the city along with Thapa for Allahbad on the pretext of a film shoot there. On reaching Allahabad on March 14, they went to Gorakhpur around 4pm, when they strangulating Thapa to death.