Southwest
'Sugar Daddy’ suspect at center of college student's murder probe
Texas authorities tracked down a suspect in the murder of a 21-year-old nursing student after a tipster recognized the accused killer from his profile on a “Sugar Daddy” website.
Muna Pandey, a Nepalese nursing student at Houston Community College, was found dead with gunshot wounds in her Houston apartment on Monday, Aug. 26.
One of her neighbors later told police that they heard a “loud thump” coming from her apartment on the evening of Saturday, Aug. 24, which was also when Pandey was last seen alive by friends and family.
An unknown male allegedly called her building manager to notify him that there was a dead body in her unit, then quickly hung up, according to a criminal complaint obtained by People.
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Bobby Singh Shah, 51, was arrested by the Houston Police Department on capital murder charges. (Houston Police Department)
Two days later, 51-year-old Bobby Singh Shah was arrested and charged with capital murder, the Houston Police Department wrote in a statement.
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Pandey’s friend told police that the young woman had previously been stalked, leading to her purchase of a security camera. Ultimately, Pandey’s security footage led police to Shah, according to the complaint.
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Security footage from Aug. 24 shows Pandey at her front door with shopping bags when a man – who police now believe is Shah – forcing her into the apartment at gunpoint. An hour later, Shah is allegedly seen leaving the apartment with one of the bags.
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After police released the security footage, Pandey’s former employer at an area restaurant called, telling them that the man in the footage resembled Shah, who was a regular patron at his establishment.
On Aug. 28, a woman called to tell Houston Police that she “instantly” recognized the man in the footage as Shah from a “Sugar Daddy” website, according to the complaint.
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A still from Pandey’s home surveillance system that was disseminated by the Houston Police Department and led to their identification of Bobby Singh Shah. (Fox 26 Houston)
Shah was apprehended in a traffic stop on Wednesday, Houston Police wrote in their statement. He is being held without bond, according to Harris County District Court records.
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Attorneys listed for him did not immediately return Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
“He’s excited to get this case over with so he can prove his innocence,” Shah’s defense attorney, Wilvin Carter, told KHOU 11.
A GoFundMe initiative has been set up for Pandey’s mother to cover her travel from Nepal to Houston and for her only child’s funeral expenses.
“No mother should have to face such heartbreak, especially from so far away,” reads the fundraiser.
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About 20 people were detained Saturday during a large police response in Los Angeles’ Koreatown after authorities received reports of an armed man threatening people, officials said. Officers responded to the 3400 block of West 8th Street near Kingsley Drive on reports of an assault with a deadly weapon, according to the Los Angeles Police […]
A former Riverside County man was found guilty of sex trafficking a female victim and forcing her to engage in commercial sex acts along L.A.’s notorious Figueroa Corridor.
Elias Abdul Shabazz, 34, formerly of Perris, was found guilty by a jury following a five-day trial, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
Prosecutors said Shabazz had led the victim to believe they were in a romantic relationship before he turned physically and sexually violent. He began demanding that the victim engage in commercial sex acts from May to October of 2021, court documents said.
He carried a handgun with him and, on occasion, was accused of using it to pistol-whip the victim. He also fired the gun at her feet while threatening to kill her, prosecutors said.
At trial, the victim said Shabazz demanded that she meet a daily quota of commercial sex proceeds and that she was terrified of the consequences of not meeting that quota.
She testified that Shabazz compelled her to work in the notorious Figueroa Corridor in South L.A., a dangerous area known for human trafficking and prostitution.
Shabazz had confiscated her identification card, Social Security card and birth certificate. He constantly monitored her cell phone to stop her from communicating with any friends or family.
“He also introduced her to addictive narcotics and controlled every aspect of her life, including when she ate, slept and showered,” prosecutors said.
In May 2025, Shabazz was arrested and has remained in federal custody. His last known address at the time was in Washington, D.C.
On June 26, 2026, Shabazz was found guilty of one count of coercing or enticing interstate transportation for purposes of prostitution.
A sentencing hearing is scheduled for Oct. 6, where he faces 15 years to life in prison.
“Sex trafficking matters rank among the most tragic cases our office prosecutes,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli. “This defendant will now face many years in a federal prison cell for his sick, disgusting, and disturbing behavior.”
“Elias Shabazz preyed on a vulnerable victim using physical and sexual violence and cruel psychological coercion to compel commercial sex acts for his own profit,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “There is no place for this type of conduct in civilized society. We deeply respect the victim’s courage to face her trafficker in court. The Criminal Division will continue to bring these cases and try them.”
Anyone with information about human trafficking can report tips to the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 888-373-7888
The star-studded feel-good giveback event of the summer has returned. KTLA 5 is teaming up once again with Project Angel Food for the annual “Lead with Love: Going the Distance” telethon to raise critical funds for medically tailored meals delivered to people living with serious illnesses throughout Los Angeles County. The seventh annual telethon airs […]
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