Authorities in Texas are investigating the homicide of an international college student who was found fatally shot in her apartment last month, leading to an arrest of a suspect allegedly identified by a tipster from a “Sugar Daddy” website.
Muna Pandey, a 21-year-old student from Nepal, was found in her Houston apartment on Monday, Aug. 26, after an “unknown male” allegedly called her building manager to notify them about a dead body in her unit, according to a criminal complaint reviewed. The man subsequently hung up, authorities allege.
Houston police arrested 51-year-old Bobby Singh Shah on a capital murder charge on Aug. 28, the Houston Police Department said in a statement.
The criminal complaint cites accounts from the victim’s friends, neighbor and employer, who all say they last heard from Pandey on Saturday, Aug. 24. The neighbor told authorities he heard “loud thumping” that evening from her apartment and had not seen Pandey since then.
According to the complaint, Pandey’s friend said the victim had previously been stalked. The complaint states that Pandey installed a security video system, which ultimately helped authorities determine what happened.
Bobby Shah mugshot (left); Bobby Shah seen in security camera.
Houston Police Dept.
The complaint claims security footage from Saturday, Aug. 24, shows Pandey outside her apartment with shopping bags while Shah allegedly points a gun at her and compels her to enter the home. A little more than an hour later, Shah is allegedly seen leaving the apartment with one of Pandey’s bags.
Two days later, the building manager was notified by the unknown caller about the body in the apartment. Authorities responded to Pandey’s apartment and found her with several gunshot wounds.
After police released a photo of the suspect taken from Pandey’s security footage, a local restaurant owner told police that an acquaintance allegedly identified Shah as a regular patron at his establishment, where Pandey previously worked.
On Aug. 28, a woman called police to notify them that she allegedly knew the suspect from a “Sugar Daddy” website from 2012 and “instantly” recognized him as Shah, per the complaint.
A GoFundMe has been set up to assist Pandey’s mother, Anita, fly from Nepal to Houston to be able to say goodbye to her only daughter.
“No mother should have to face such heartbreak, especially from so far away,” reads a part of the fundraiser, adding that funds raised will be used to “ease the financial burden during this tragic time and allow Anita to be present for her daughter’s final journey.”
Online court records of the Harris County District Clerk’s office show Shah is being held without bond. He is also facing a charge of unlawfully carrying a weapon.
