DU student stabbed to death in Delhi home by her former gym trainer

The accused was allegedly enraged over the woman's interactions with another person and is absconding, police said, adding that he was a drug addict and had a history of self-harm.The woman was a second-year student at Delhi University's School of Open Learning (SOL). (Representative image)A 21-year-old Delhi University student, content creator and part-time model was stabbed to death at her home in Tilak Nagar by a man she had known for around 18 months, police said on Thursday. The accused, identified as Aqib alias Imran, 26, allegedly continued pursuing the woman after she ended their relationship and is currently absconding, police said. He was allegedly upset over her interactions with another person and was a drug addict with a history of self-harm, according to police.The woman was a second-year student at Delhi University's School of Open Learning (SOL). She was the youngest of four siblings and lived with her parents and siblings in a rented house near Mangla Hospital in West Delhi. People known to the family said her elder sister is a model.Police said the woman had met Imran at a gym where he worked as a trainer. He was unemployed and had worked there 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 but did not file a formal complaint, police said. He was subsequently sent to a de-addiction centre and released on July 30 after allegedly harming himself there, police said.According to police, the woman did not want to continue the relationship, but Imran allegedly continued pursuing her. Police suspect he became enraged over her talking to someone else during the last two months. The two had also met at a hotel on August 20, police said. On Wednesday evening, Imran allegedly went to the woman's house when she was alone. An argument broke out, after which he allegedly stabbed her multiple times with a knife and fled, police said. CCTV footage showed him entering the building at around 5:40 pm, a police source said.The Tilak Nagar police station received a PCR call about the stabbing at 7:24 pm, Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) Hareshwar V Swami said. The house help found the woman injured on the second floor and informed her family, following which police were called. She was taken to a hospital, where doctors declared her dead on arrival.Police said a post-mortem examination will establish the exact cause and nature of the injuries. The National Commission for Women has taken suo motu cognisance of the reported murder and sought an action taken report within seven days.A murder case was registered based on the statement of the woman's brother, who told police that his sister knew Aqib alias Imran, a resident of the nearby area, and suspected him of committing the crime, the DCP said. Crime and forensic teams photographed and examined the scene.Aman, a friend of the woman, said he was called by her elder sister in Chandigarh and asked to reach their home after she was stabbed."She told me that her sister had been stabbed. I called my friends to take her to the hospital. When I reached there, an ambulance was already there. Later, the hospital pronounced her dead," he said.Aman added that the accused had been pursuing the woman for a long time and that her family had informed him about the alleged harassment.Family members were seen waiting outside the hospital during the post-mortem examination. A senior police officer said more than 15 teams were working to trace the accused and had received important inputs about his whereabouts.Police teams have conducted raids at locations where he is suspected to be hiding and are examining CCTV footage to track his movements before and after the crime.Police have also stepped up security in the area as the accused and the victim belong to different communities, officials said. A neighbour said she had seen the woman about an hour before the incident.Another neighbour said residents learned about the incident around 7:30 pm and went to check what had happened. A gym worker said police teams had visited the establishment and questioned staff about the accused."We never noticed anything between the girl and the boy. She came, did her workout and left without talking to him," the worker said. He also alleged that the accused's behaviour with several customers had been inappropriate. Police said further investigation is underway.- EndsPublished By: India Today Web Desk Published On: Aug 27, 2026 23:49 IST