Following the arrest of Mohammad Imran, alias Aqib, on Friday, 28th August, in connection with the murder of 21-year-old Muskan Sharma, Delhi Police have now revealed details of his criminal past. The investigation has brought to light that Imran was booked under the POCSO Act eight years ago in 2018 for sexually harassing a minor in Tilak Nagar. The case also included charges related to stalking, voluntarily causing hurt, outraging the modesty of a woman and common intention.
The revelation has raised questions about how authorities handled his earlier criminal record and whether stronger action could have prevented further offences. Police said this was not the first time Imran had been involved in a serious criminal case.
In 2021, he was also named in a culpable homicide case. According to police, Imran had attacked a man with a stone slab in October 2020. The victim suffered serious head injuries and went into a coma. The complainant told police that Imran first hit him on the head and then struck him on the nose with the same stone slab while he was lying on the ground. He remained in hospital for six days. The case was registered the following year by court order.
Police are also looking into the suspect’s Instagram account. His profile features posts about his gym workouts and cricket activities. However, a video uploaded from his account in 2019 shows a group of men sitting inside a room while music plays in the background. In the video, one of the men, who is smoking, pulls out a pistol and fires three rounds into the air.
Imran tried to erase digital evidence
Police said Imran changed his location several times after killing Muskan, making it difficult for investigators to track him. Multiple teams were conducting searches across west Delhi and nearby areas as part of the manhunt.
Investigators also suspect that Imran took Muskan’s iPhone after the murder, possibly to delete messages, chats and other digital evidence that could have helped establish what happened between the two. Police are also checking whether he had gone live on social media shortly before the murder and threatened Muskan.
According to media reports, Muskan had stopped answering Imran’s calls and had blocked him on social media. He continued trying to contact her through different phone numbers. Investigators suspect he may have called her on the day of the murder and became angry after she did not respond.
DCP (West) Vichitra Veer said police spotted a suspicious person near the sub-registrar’s office in Rajouri Garden on Thursday evening. When the team checked, they identified him as Imran and tried to arrest him. Police said he opened fire at them, following which the personnel retaliated.
A total of 11 rounds were fired during the encounter. Imran fired four rounds, while the police fired seven. Three police bullets hit him in both legs, including the knee area. He was taken to a hospital and remains under treatment.
#WATCH | Delhi: In a major breakthrough, the Delhi Police have tracked down and arrested the prime suspect accused of brutally stabbing a 21-year-old student inside her West Delhi residence.
— ANI (@ANI) August 27, 2026
An encounter broke out during the arrest operation, during which the accused sustained a… pic.twitter.com/WHhThIN3LG
“As Imran remains hospitalised, investigators have not yet been able to question him about the source of the weapon and the motive behind the murder,” police said.
Muskan had faced repeated harassment
The investigation has also brought renewed attention to the harassment Muskan faced before her death. Police said her family had approached them in July and complained that Imran was stalking and harassing her near her home. However, the family did not file a formal complaint. Imran was later sent to a drug de-addiction centre, but the harassment continued.
Muskan and Imran had known each other for around one-and-a-half to two years through a local gym and were reportedly in a relationship. Police said chats recovered from Muskan’s phone showed frequent arguments, harassment and Imran’s suspicion that she was speaking to another man.
Muskan was murdered at home
On 26th August, Muskan was alone at her home in Old Mahavir Nagar when Imran arrived at around 5.40 pm. Police said an argument broke out between them, after which he strangled her and stabbed her three times in the chest and abdomen. CCTV footage reportedly showed him entering the building and leaving around 25 minutes later with Muskan’s phone.
A domestic help later found Muskan lying in a pool of blood and rushed her to hospital with the help of others. She was a fashion content creator and model and was also pursuing her graduation through Delhi University’s School of Open Learning.
