A case that had gripped West Delhi for two days came to a dramatic close late this week when police shot and arrested the man accused of murdering 21-year-old model and Delhi University student Muskan Sharma. The accused, a gym trainer identified as Aqib alias Imran, was cornered by a police team in the Rajouri Garden area and taken into custody after an exchange of gunfire left him with bullet injuries in both legs.
The Murder in Tilak Nagar
The case began on Wednesday, August 26, when Muskan was found stabbed inside her rented home in the New Mahavir Nagar locality of Tilak Nagar, West Delhi. According to police, she was alone in the house at the time of the attack. She suffered multiple stab wounds and was rushed to a nearby hospital, but succumbed to her injuries before she could be saved.
Muskan was a second-year student at Delhi University’s School of Open Learning who also worked as a content creator and part-time model. She lived with her parents and siblings in a rented house near Mangla Hospital in Tilak Nagar. Her death sent shockwaves through the neighborhood, with local residents describing her as a familiar, well-liked young woman balancing her studies with a budding modelling career.
Her brother, Aakash, was among the first to point a finger at Imran, alleging that he was responsible for the killing. That allegation quickly became central to the investigation, as police began piecing together the relationship between the victim and the accused.
Who Is the Accused
Imran, 26, worked as a gym trainer and had reportedly known Muskan for around a year and a half, having first met her at the gym where he was employed and where she used to work out. Investigators say the two had known each other for roughly two years and had been in a relationship for about eighteen months before the killing. Muskan had been a member of the gym for close to six months before her membership lapsed, while Imran had also since left his position at the same facility.
As the probe deepened, a far more troubled picture of the relationship emerged. Police and local sources described it as a difficult and often abusive dynamic, compounded by Imran’s struggles with substance abuse. He was said to have gone through at least two stints at drug de-addiction centres, the most recent just weeks before the murder, from which he reportedly left after only a few days. An employee at the gym where the couple used to spend time told local media that people around them were aware of the relationship, and that when Imran’s drug addiction became apparent roughly two months before the murder, matters escalated to the point that his landlord and the police had to be called after a reported suicide attempt. He was evicted from his residence around the same time, and Muskan reportedly moved out as well.
Police records also indicate that Imran had at least three prior criminal cases registered against him, adding to the picture of a volatile and troubled individual in the lead-up to the killing.
The Manhunt
Within hours of Muskan’s body being discovered, Delhi Police registered a case of murder against Imran and launched a manhunt. Officers recovered a pair of scissors and a sword allegedly used in the attack from the crime scene. Multiple specialized units — including the Special Staff, the Anti-Auto Theft Squad, the narcotics squad, and local police teams — were roped in to trace the accused’s movements. Investigators pored over CCTV footage from the area around Muskan’s home and were able to establish that Imran had entered her house at around 5:45 pm on the day of the murder and left roughly fifteen minutes later, cementing him as the prime suspect.
For nearly two days, Imran remained on the run, evading multiple police teams that fanned out across West Delhi in search of him.
The Encounter
The breakthrough came on the night of August 27, when the Special Staff received a specific tip-off about Imran’s movement near the Nala Road area of Rajouri Garden, close to the sub-registrar’s office. A police team rushed to the location around 11 pm and spotted him shortly after.
According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) Hareshwar Swami, officers identified themselves and repeatedly asked Imran to surrender. Instead of complying, he allegedly pulled out a pistol and opened fire on the police party. One head constable first fired a warning shot into the air in an attempt to de-escalate the situation, but Imran continued shooting. Two head constables then fired at his legs in order to apprehend him without causing fatal injury.
Accounts of the exact number of rounds fired vary slightly across police statements, with figures suggesting Imran fired around four rounds at the police team, who responded with seven rounds in retaliation, bringing the total exchange to roughly eleven rounds fired from both sides. Imran was hit by three bullets across both legs. No police personnel were injured in the exchange.
Following the encounter, Imran was overpowered and shifted to Guru Gobind Singh Hospital in Raghubir Nagar for treatment. Police recovered a pistol and cartridges from the spot, along with the weapon they say he used against the responding officers.
What Comes Next
With Imran now in custody and undergoing treatment for his injuries, police have registered a case against him under Section 103(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which deals with murder, in connection with Muskan’s killing. He also faces a separate case of attempted culpable homicide arising from the shootout with police. Investigators have said they intend to formally question him once he is medically fit, with the aim of establishing a clear motive and sequence of events leading up to the attack.
Police have indicated that the exact motive behind the killing is still being examined, though the pattern that has emerged so far points to a relationship strained by persistent harassment, jealousy, and Imran’s untreated addiction. Investigators are also expected to look more closely into his prior criminal history and his time in rehabilitation to build a fuller picture for the prosecution.
A Case That Has Struck a Chord
The killing of Muskan Sharma has drawn significant public attention, both for the brutality of the attack on a young woman inside her own home and for the swift, high-drama conclusion to the police hunt for her alleged killer. Cases involving violence against women in intimate relationships continue to raise difficult questions about early warning signs, the role of addiction in escalating domestic conflict, and how such patterns can sometimes go unaddressed until it is too late.
For Muskan’s family, the arrest offers a measure of closure in the search for accountability, even as the pain of losing a daughter, sister, and young woman with her whole future ahead of her remains raw. As the legal process moves forward, the coming weeks are likely to bring more details about the final months of the relationship between Muskan and Imran, and about how a promising young life was cut short in an act of violence that has left an entire neighborhood shaken.
Police have not commented on the timeline of the trial process but confirmed that further updates will be shared as the investigation progresses.