Former gym coach linked to DU student’s murder
A day after a 21-year-old student of Delhi University’s School of Open Learning was found stabbed to death at her home in the Capital’s Tilak Nagar area, the Delhi police now suspect that she was murdered by a former gym trainer because he was enraged over her talking to another person, an official said on Thursday.
The victim, Muskan, also worked as a model. The suspect, identified as Imran (26), is absconding and police have formed about 15 teams to apprehend him, the police said.
According to the investigators, Muskan and Imran had known each other for around one-and-a-half years. Investigators suspect Imran had been harbouring anger toward her for close to two months, believing she was talking to another man. That resentment, police believe, culminated in the attack on Wednesday.
According to police, Imran allegedly went to Muskan’s home while she was alone. An argument broke out between the two, following which Imran allegedly attacked her with a knife before fleeing the scene, the police said. DCP (West) Hareshwar V Swami said Muskan’s brother told police that she knew a man named Aqib, alias Imran, who lived nearby, and that the family suspected him of the crime.
Investigators are also examining the nature of the relationship between Muskan and Imran, and the events leading up to the murder. Police said the two had met at a hotel on August 20, just days before the killing.
A friend of Muskan’s, identified as Aman, had earlier alleged that Imran had been pursuing her for a long time, and that her family had been informed about the alleged harassment. However, the family has not made a specific allegation against any individual beyond naming Imran as a suspect, and police say the complete motive and sequence of events are yet to be established. CCTV footage reviewed by police showed the accused entering the building at around 5.40 pm on Wednesday, according to a police source.
The crime came to light after the family’s house help found Muskan injured on the second floor of the building and alerted her family. A PCR call reporting the stabbing was received at Tilak Nagar police station at 7.24 pm, the DCP said. Muskan was rushed to hospital, where doctors declared her dead-on arrival. A post-mortem examination is expected to establish the exact cause and nature of her injuries.
Police have said the motive has not yet been conclusively established, and that the investigation remains ongoing. Officers are expected to record further statements from family members, friends and neighbours as they work to trace Imran and piece together the complete timeline of events leading to the murder.
