An 18-year-old student, Mahak Jain, was found murdered in the Sanjay Van area of South Delhi’s Mehrauli, with police identifying her former acquaintance, Arshakrit Singh, as the prime accused in the case. The girl had gone missing on Sunday after leaving home to attend classes at Delhi University’s School of Open Learning. Police said Arshakrit lured the victim to a secluded part of Sanjay Van, where he stabbed and strangled her before attempting to burn the body. The accused later admitted to the crime during questioning.
The victim’s mother, a resident of Jahangirpuri, told police her daughter had left for class on the morning of June 1 but never returned. Around midday, the girl had messaged her mother, saying she would be home soon. When she failed to return by evening, the family became worried and filed a missing person complaint at Mehrauli police station.
Later that evening, Mahak’s mother received a call from Arshakrit Singh’s father, who said his son had been attacked in Sanjay Van and was admitted to a hospital in Pitampura. The family rushed to Sanjay Van to look for the girl but found no trace of her.
Based on the mother's complaint, police registered a kidnapping case and began scanning CCTV footage and examining the victim’s recent contacts. The family named Arshakrit as someone their daughter had known, prompting police to take him into custody.
Accused confesses to murder
During questioning, Arshakrit confessed to the murder. He told police he had called the girl to meet him in Sanjay Van and led her to an isolated spot. There, he stabbed her multiple times, strangled her, and tried to set her body on fire. He sustained a minor injury to his hand during the attack and later went to the hospital, which is when his father informed the victim’s family.
Body recovered, murder weapon seized
Police recovered the victim’s body based on the accused’s directions and collected forensic evidence from the crime scene. The knife used in the murder has also been seized. Sections of murder and destruction of evidence have now been added to the FIR.
About the accused
Arshakrit Singh, 18, is a resident of Rani Bagh and a first-year B.Com student at the School of Open Learning, Delhi University. Police say further investigation is underway to determine the motive and whether the crime was premeditated.
