NEW DELHI: A city gym trainer accused of murdering a 21-year-old woman in west Delhi’s Tilak Nagar was injured in both legs during a police encounter in Rajouri Garden Thursday night. He opened fire at the personnel.Muskan Sharma was murdered, allegedly by Mohammad Imran, alias Aqib, at her home Wednesday.Police said Imran resisted arrest and fired at the team, following which the personnel retaliated. Three of the seven rounds fired by the police hit him in the legs. He was rushed to hospital, where he is currently undergoing treatment.Police are also probing whether Imran had gone live on social media shortly before the murder and threatened Muskan that he will kill her. Sources said she had stopped taking his calls and blocked him on social media, following which he allegedly contacted her using different numbers. Investigators suspect he may have called her on the day of the murder and became enraged when she did not respond.
Prior record
Suspect changed locations frequently
Police inquiry revealed that Imran was booked under Pocso Act in 2018 for allegedly sexually harassing a minor in Tilak Nagar. The case also invoked sections related to voluntarily causing hurt, stalking, outraging modesty and common intention.Sources said it was not his first criminal case. In 2021, he was also involved in a culpable homicide case in which he allegedly assaulted a man who suffered serious head injuries and went into a coma.The complainant told police that on the night of Oct 30, 2020, Imran struck him on the head with a stone slab. While he was lying on the ground, Imran allegedly struck him on the nose with the same stone slab. He remained admitted to the hospital for six days. A case was registered next year, on court’s order.According to police, after killing Muskan, Imran allegedly took her iPhone, possibly to delete text messages and chats and prevent any digital trail from being recovered. Police said after fleeing the crime scene, Imran kept changing his location. Multiple police teams conducted raids across west Delhi and adjoining areas to trace him.DCP (West) Hareshwar Swami said Thursday evening, a police team spotted a suspicious individual near the sub-registrar’s office in Rajouri Garden.On closer inspection, the personnel identified him as Imran and tried to nab him. However, he allegedly opened fire at the team, prompting them to retaliate. Imran sustained gunshot injuries to both legs in the exchange. Eleven rounds were fired during the encounter; Imran fired four rounds while the cops fired seven, three of which hit him on his knees.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.Muskan’s family had told police she had been repeatedly harassed by Imran for a long time. Police said they also found that Imran suspected she was talking to another man, which he did not like.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.
