Accused Imran arrested following police encounter in Tilak Nagar murder case

A 26-year-old man accused of killing a 21-year-old Delhi University student in west Delhi has been arrested following an exchange of fire with police, officials said. Imran was previously involved in a 2021 case of assault and culpable homicide, cops said. Aqib alias Imran, a former gym trainer, had been on the run since allegedly stabbing the woman to death at her home in Tilak Nagar on August 26. Police had formed more than 15 teams to track him down.

"Following the incident, barricades and checkpoints were put up across the district, and teams were deployed to trace him. Imran kept changing his hideouts. Acting on a tip-off, teams of the Special Staff and Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) laid a trap to apprehend him," a senior police officer said. A gunfight broke out when police teams intercepted Imran, the officer said. The accused allegedly fired four rounds, while police fired seven rounds. Imran suffered three bullet injuries to his leg and was subsequently arrested. He is being questioned, while further investigation is under way, police said.

Police said Imran had known the woman for around 18 months after first meeting her at the gym where he worked as a trainer. The woman was a second-year student at Delhi University's School of Open Learning (SOL). She was also a content creator and part-time model. Her elder sister is a model, according to people known to the family. She was the youngest of four siblings and lived with her parents and siblings in a rented house near Mangla Hospital in west Delhi. Imran had worked at the gym for around three months before being removed about two months ago over alleged inappropriate behaviour with customers, a gym worker said.

On July 18, the woman approached a police station and complained that Imran was harassing her. However, she did not file a formal complaint, police said. Police said Imran had a history of drug use and was sent to a de-addiction centre. He was released on July 30 after allegedly harming himself while at the centre. Police said the woman did not want to continue her relationship with Imran, but he allegedly continued pursuing her. Investigators suspect he became enraged after she began speaking to someone else over the past two months.

On the evening of August 26, Imran allegedly went to the woman's house while she was alone. An argument broke out, following which he allegedly stabbed her multiple times with a knife and fled, police said. CCTV footage showed Imran entering the building at around 5.40pm, a police source said. Tilak Nagar police station received a PCR call about the stabbing at 7.24pm, Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) Hareshwar V Swami said. A house help found the woman injured on the second floor of the building and informed her family, following which police were called. She was taken to a hospital, where doctors declared her dead on arrival, police said.