Kanpur Ekta murder case prime accused 48-hour custody

 Kanpur The police on Tuesday obtained a 48-hour custody remand for gym trainer Vimal Soni, the prime accused in the Ekta Gupta murder case, stated the prosecution wing of Kanpur police. The cops had initially sought a seven-day remand but the chief judicial magistrate, after hearing special prosecution officer (SPO) Ajay Srivastava, granted only two days.

Soni is scheduled to be handed over to the police at 8am on Wednesday and will remain in their custody until 8am on Friday, according to the order. 

DCP (East) Shravan Kumar Singh declined to comment on the case or explain why the remand was granted for only two days.

Kanpur Ekta murder case  prime accused 48-hour custody 

The police, who have not yet established a clear motive for the murder, had sought remand to recover crucial evidence, including Ekta’s mobile phone and gym bag. According to Soni, after his arrest on October 26, he had discarded these items between Company Bagh Crossing and Rawatpur Crossing, an area known for its relatively lower traffic frequency.

Earlier, the police had recovered Ekta’s gym towel from Soni’s car, a broken SIM card, a damaged clutch, and a rope. The car had been found parked outside Soni’s sister’s residence in Juhi Military Camp.

Ekta Gupta, wife of prominent businessman Rahul Gupta, went missing from the Green Park Stadium gym on June 24. Soni also disappeared the same day. Rahul Gupta, after the discovery of the car and items in its boot, filed an FIR for kidnapping against Soni.

Four months later, Soni was apprehended in Kanpur and he confessed to killing Ekta in the parking lot of Green Park stadium. According to his statement, he first punched her in the neck and then strangled her with a rope. He buried her body in the Officers’ Club near the residence of the district magistrate in Kanpur. On October 27, the police recovered the skeleton from the location he mentioned.

The police had initially planned a reconstruction of the crime scene with forensic experts from Lucknow and detailed interrogation of Soni, for whom they had prepared a list of 97 questions. However, with the two-day remand, the decision to reconstruct the crime scene has been postponed. The focus will now shift to establishing a motive for the crime and recovering the gym bag and mobile phone.

Police officials said if significant leads emerge during these two days, the police may apply for an extension of the remand or request a fresh custody order.

Permission for DNA sample

The court also granted the police permission to collect a DNA sample from Ekta’s mother, Sunita Gupta, to match it with the samples taken from the skeleton found in the Officers’ Club. The Kotwali SHO applied for this permission, citing the need for DNA matching to confirm the identity of the deceased. A team of doctors will collect the sample from Sunita Gupta at her residence in Shuklagunj, Unnao.

CCTV cams not working

On June 24, the day Ekta went missing, the CCTV cameras at the Green Park parking lot were not working. According to Soni, he murdered Ekta in the parking lot and buried her body in the Officers’ Club. DCP (East) Shravan Kumar Singh confirmed that the CCTV cameras at both locations were not functioning at the time.

Ekta coerced into returning to the gym?

Soni had started calling Ekta Gupta as early as 4am on June 24. One of his calls was answered but eight others were absent as per sources. Before this, Ekta had not been going to the gym for 20 days, during which she and Soni spoke 34 times. Officials believe that Ekta may have been coerced into returning to the gym. Before leaving that morning, she called a teacher friend and said she would go to the gym. She was last seen entering the gym premises at 5:53 am and leaving at 7:02 am on June 24.