18-year-old Delhi University student Mahak Jain was murdered in Sanjay Van, Mehrauli, Delhi, allegedly by her boyfriend, 18-year-old Arshpreet Singh (also referred to as Arsh or Arshkirat). The two had been in a relationship for about a year after meeting in college, but Mahak's family disapproved of the relationship. Prior to the incident, Arshpreet had exhibited obsessive and stalking behavior, including tracking her location, confronting her family, and physical aggression toward her mother. On June 1, 2025, Mahak left her Jahangirpuri home after being summoned to Sanjay Van Park by Arshpreet via a fake number. Arshpreet had arrived early carrying petrol and a knife. In the forested area of the park, he strangled her, stabbed her multiple times, and poured petrol over her face/body to burn her and prevent identification. Afterward, Arshpreet admitted himself to a Rohini hospital with hand injuries, claimed Mahak had attacked him, and made his father call Mahak's parents with this false story to mislead them. Mahak's family searched for her for 18 hours while police faced jurisdictional disputes between Mehrauli and Kishangarh police stations. CCTV footage from the park showed Arshpreet entering at 8:30 AM and leaving alone at 12:45 PM. Following interrogation by Delhi Police, Arshpreet confessed to the crime, leading to the recovery of Mahak's body and his arrest on charges of kidnapping and murder.
Country: India
State/Province: Delhi, India
City/Region: Mehrauli
Incident Type: Domestic Violence Homicide
Relationship Status: Dating
Relationship Duration: 1 year
Incident Date: June 1, 2025
Relationship Origins:
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How the relationship or connection began.
1 year
Important relationship phases recorded for this case.
Reported red flags or early concern points.
Contributing factors and possible motives from the available sources.
2025-06-01
Recorded relationship or case outcome.
English labels are shown first. Original-language titles are preserved for source verification.
Stalking and Obsessive Jealousy
The incident highlights a pattern of obsessive controlling behavior, stalking, and rejection violence following relationship breakdown. After the victim's family objected to the relationship and the victim attempted to distance herself, the offender engaged in intrusive monitoring, physical intimidation, and prior threats. When the victim firmly refused to continue the relationship, the offender lured her to an isolated location under false pretenses with weapons and accelerants brought in advance, executed the attack, and attempted post-offense evidence destruction and victim-blaming deception.
Delhi Police arrested suspect Arshpreet Singh after CCTV footage at Sanjay Van Park disproved his initial narrative. Police recovered the victim's burned body in the dense forest area of Sanjay Van. The suspect confessed during interrogation, detailing how he brought a knife and petrol to the park, strangled and stabbed the victim, burned her face/body, and then attempted to framed her by getting admitted to a hospital with minor hand injuries. Inter-station jurisdictional debates between Mehrauli and Kishangarh police stations initially delayed official registration before the FIR was finalized at Mehrauli police station.
Initial confusion arose when the suspect called the victim's mother from a hospital claiming he and Mahak had been attacked by unknown assailants with knives and that Mahak was involved, or alternatively that Mahak had stabbed him. Further delay was caused by a two-hour police jurisdiction dispute between Mehrauli and Kishangarh police stations over whose boundary contained the crime scene.
The reconstruction relied on park CCTV footage showing Arshpreet entering Sanjay Van at 8:30 AM and Mahak arriving later, with Arshpreet exiting alone at 12:45 PM showing hand injuries. This timeline contradicted Arshpreet's claims of being attacked elsewhere or by Mahak, leading to his apprehension in Rani Bagh and subsequent detailed confession regarding the premeditated strangulation, stabbing, and burning of the body.
The case involved multiple acute risk markers prior to the fatal escalation, including intrusive tracking of the victim's location, severe jealousy and unfounded suspicions of cheating, non-consensual home visits, physical violence directed at the victim's family, and express threats. The deliberate acquisition of weapons and accelerants prior to summoning the victim indicates high lethality potential and premeditation.
Unaddressed stalking, digital location tracking, and escalation from verbal harassment to physical violence toward family members are critical warning indicators. Early police interventions on prior complaints regarding harassment and threat applications can be crucial in preventing fatal intimate partner violence.
Persistent unwanted contact, taking unauthorized access to the victim's phone to track her location, creating scenes at her place of study (Korean Culture Center), visiting her home uninvited, and physical aggression toward her mother.
Park CCTV footage showing Arshpreet entering Sanjay Van early with bags/items, Mahak arriving later, and Arshpreet leaving alone four hours later with visible injuries on his hand while Mahak never exited.
CCTV camera recordings from Sanjay Van Park, hospital admission records and call logs, suspect's self-incriminating confession during interrogation, and recovery of the victim's burned body along with the knife/petrol accelerant evidence at the scene.
The victim's sister (Mridula Jain) stated that Arshpreet constantly tracked Mahak, harassed the family, and had previously manhandled their mother when confronted. The victim's father (Rakesh Jain) stated that Arshpreet lured Mahak to the park using a fake phone number and that Arshpreet's father called claiming Mahak had stabbed his son.
Initial reports based on the suspect's phone call suggested an ongoing knife attack or mutual violence in a hospital context, but follow-up CCTV analysis and police interrogation proved it was a calculated murder executed solely by Arshpreet.
Details regarding how Arshpreet obtained petrol and whether any third parties facilitated his fake calls or post-crime hospital setup remain subject to ongoing police investigation.