The police arrested two social media influencers from Noida on Friday for allegedly murdering a 27-year-old woman in Ulwe. The accused reportedly undertook the contract killing to finance their ambitions of entering the modelling industry.
The accused, Sukhbir Nirmalsingh Rathiya (24) and Gurpreet Avtar Singh (25), both from Fatehabad, Haryana, were apprehended after a coordinated operation involving the Crime Branch Unit 2, Ulwe police, and the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force.
The victim, Alvina Khan, who lived in Vijay Laxmi Tower, Ulwe Sector 5, was killed on May 18. A masked assailant slit her throat near her home, resulting in her death from severe bleeding.
Police investigations revealed that Khan’s husband, Kishor Singh Rajput, allegedly masterminded the murder due to ongoing financial disputes and divorce proceedings. Rajput, a pharmacist and co-owner of a medical store with Khan, reportedly paid Rs6 lakh to two women—Alisha Tyagi and Dimple Kaur—to arrange the contract killing. Tyagi, a regular customer, conspired with her domestic help Kaur, who then recruited Rathiya and Singh to carry out the murder.
Rajput, Tyagi, and Kaur were arrested on May 21, while Rathiya and Singh were detained in Noida and brought to Navi Mumbai after securing a transit remand.
According to Assistant Commissioner of Police Ajaykumar Landge, Rathiya and Singh moved to Mumbai about a year and a half ago with hopes of making it big in modelling. Rathiya had a social media following of over 5 lakh. When quick money was needed, they turned to crime.
The investigation is ongoing.
