Kanpur Pharma Dealer Vineet Minocha Murder: Son Subrat Arrested Over Alleged ₹6 Lakh Plot to Kill Father

By Akanksha

A Kanpur-based pharmaceutical dealer, Vineet Manocha, 63, was found dead after being killed at his Ratan Orbit apartment in the Indira Nagar area on September 5. He was stabbed 17 times, sustaining deep wounds on his neck, and had his throat slit open. His body was discovered on September 6.

He was alone at the time of the incident,  while his son Subrat, 34, was out at a kitty party with his wife, Shalu. According to police statements, the couple left for the party at around 9:45 p.m. in the evening and returned home to find their father dead. No theft or robbery had taken place; the sole motive appeared to be murder, and the incident took place around 11 p.m.

The main suspects, Vishal and Rajkishore, were arrested on September 6, with one of them being a former employee. Subrat was later arrested after Vishal allegedly told police that Subrat had hired them to kill his father for ₹6 lakh and had instructed them to implicate Shalu if they were arrested. Police said they were verifying the allegations through call records and other evidence.

How Was Vineet Manocha’s Murder Allegedly Planned?

According to the statement given by Subrat, Vishal and his accomplice, Rajkishore, were instructed to kill Vineet using a pillow — with one person smothering him while the other held down his feet. Police alleged that this was the original plan, but when Vineet encountered the men inside the flat and raised an alarm, Vishal allegedly attacked him with a knife instead.

Vishal and Rajkishore were to enter the house after the couple left, using a spare key Subrat had provided them. Police later recovered the duplicate key allegedly used to enter the apartment after Vishal indicated that he had thrown it into an open plot near Ratan Orbit while fleeing. They were supposed to hide in the couple’s room until the father arrived. 

“I only regret the way my father was stabbed to death; the rest I do not regret,” said Subrat. “I wanted him to die,” he added. 

Why Did Police Initially Suspect Shalu?

The main suspect named the daughter-in-law as the mastermind behind the murder, alleging it was she who gave them the keys to the apartment. This was an earlier allegation in the investigation. Later, Vishal allegedly told police that Subrat had hired them to kill Vineet and had instructed them to implicate Shalu if they were arrested. Police subsequently arrested Subrat and said they were examining the allegations against him.

A digital trail was also established between Shalu and Vishal; around 309 calls were exchanged and roughly 49 text messages were deleted  between May 1 to the day of the incident. Shalu was later questioned by police, who obtained 24-hour custody of Shalu, Vishal and Rajkishore for questioning.

Shalu’s family denied the allegations. Her brother told the reporters that she routinely took care of Vineet’s meals and other daily needs, while also questioning Subrat's silence.  

Shalu repeatedly maintained that she had no involvement in her father-in-law's murder and had no motive either. After Subrat's arrest, police identified him as the alleged mastermind and indicated that steps would be taken regarding Shalu's release.

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What Evidence Led Police to Investigate Subrat?

Vishal had worked at Vineet’s medical store but was fired after Vineet caught him stealing money. When Subrat claimed not to recognize Vishal, it immediately raised suspicions.

What Did Vishal Tell Police About Subrat’s Alleged Role?

Vishal claimed that Subrat asked them to implicate Shalu if they were arrested — an allegation Subrat strongly denies. Subrat maintained that he regrets his wife being dragged into the case and that it shouldn’t have happened. 

Vishal had obtained a new Jio number two days before the incident, called Subrat at 6:30 using the name “Shubham”, and claimed that he was promised six lakhs to murder his ex-employer — Rs. 2 lakh in advance and Rs. 4 lakh after the crime was committed.

Vishal gave a new statement: “Sir, I am telling the truth now. I made a big mistake, and bhabhi (Shalu) is innocent; it was bhaiya (Subrat) who made me do it.” 

Subrat confessed to the charges and disclosed his motive for his own father.  Police alleged that Subrat had promised Vishal ₹6 lakh for the murder, with ₹2 lakh to be paid in advance and ₹4 lakh after the crime.

Police also recovered blood-stained clothes allegedly worn by Rajkishore from Kanpur Central.

What Is Parricide and What Does Research Say About It?

Parricide (derived from Latin) is the act of killing a parent or other close relative. Although rare, research has estimated that parricide accounts for about 2% to 4% of homicides in some datasets, with 83% to 87% of offenders being men aged between 23 and 32. The most common weapon used in such homicides is a sharp or blunt instrument. ¹

Compared to other homicide offenders, parricide offenders are less likely to have a lengthy history of committing a crime. An adolescent offender is more likely to have been abused by the parent, while adult offenders may have serious mental illness — commonly schizophrenia. ¹

Discussing broader dynamics in familial and partner violence, Dr. David Adams, author of “Why Do They Kill? Men Who Murder Their Intimate Partners” said, “The most common type of killer was a possessively jealous type, and I found that many of the men who commit murder-suicide, as well as those who kill their children, also seem to fit that profile. A jealous substance abuser with a gun poses a particularly deadly combination of factors, one that was present in about 40 per cent of the killers I interviewed.” ²

In ancient Rome, this kind of homicide was harshly punished with a so-called poena cullei (“penalty of the sack”) — sewing up the murderer in a leather sack with a live animal and throwing the sack into the water. ³

What Was the Alleged Motive Behind Vineet Manocha’s Murder?

Subrat called his father a womanizer, and a person of loose character. He added that he feared the disrepute his father's multiple relationships might cause. “Sometimes I feared that someday he might get a woman pregnant and bring her home, the property would be divided,” he claimed. “The property shouldn't be divided,” he added. 

What Was Subrat Manocha’s Alleged Debt and Financial Situation? 

Subrat led an extravagant lifestyle he could not afford, leading him to borrow money from his friends and max out on his credit cards. He had accumulated around 40 lakh in debt, with monthly payments of approximately Rs. 55000 to Rs. 56000. Police also alleged that his debts were connected to gambling, betting and casino activity.

His father used to give him around Rs. 40,000 every month for his personal expenses. Consequently, he was forced to take out new loans or use credit cards to pay off the older ones. Police also alleged that Shalu's father had previously helped Subrat repay ₹14 lakh.

Police further alleged that Subrat and Vishal had previously arranged the theft of medicines from Vineet's shop on eight to nine occasions, with Vishal allegedly selling the medicines afterward. Police said this was part of Subrat's attempts to raise money to meet his debts.

References

1. Fegadel, Amanda R., and Kathleen M. Heide. “The Typology of Parricide and the Role of Mental Illness: Data-Driven Approach.” Aggressive Behavior 46, no. 4 (2020): 329–340. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ab.21906 

2. National Institute of Justice. “Men Who Murder Their Families: What the Research Tells Us.” U.S. Department of Justice, June 1, 2010. https://nij.ojp.gov/topics/articles/men-who-murder-their-families-what-research-tells-us 

3. Liem, Marieke, and colleagues. “Patricide and Overkill: A Review of the Literature and Case Report of a Murder with Capgras Delusion.” Forensic Science, Medicine and Pathology 16 (2020): 634–642. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12024-020-00314-4 

(Rh/ARC/MSM)