In a case that has stunned investigators and horrified the public, Delhi Police have uncovered chilling details surrounding the murder of a young UPSC aspirant in the city’s Timarpur area — a crime allegedly masterminded by his 21-year-old live-in partner, a forensic science student from Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh. What began as a relationship earlier this year ended in a calculated killing, meticulously staged to appear as a tragic accidental fire.

The accused, who had reportedly been dating the victim since May 2025, is said to have drawn inspiration from her academic background in forensic science and her fascination with crime shows to execute and disguise the murder. Investigators have described the crime as one of the most methodically planned cases they have seen in recent times, involving a deadly combination of forensic manipulation, revenge, and deception.

A Fatal Night in Gandhi Vihar

The crime took place in the early hours of October 6 in a fourth-floor flat located in Gandhi Vihar, north Delhi. At around 2:50 am, police received a distress call reporting a fire in one of the rooms. Firefighters rushed to the spot, extinguished the flames, and discovered a charred body lying inside. Initially, the case was treated as an accidental fire, and police registered it under provisions relating to negligent conduct with fire, pending forensic and post-mortem reports.

However, the story began to unravel when the victim’s cousin raised doubts about the nature of his death. Suspicious about the circumstances, the family urged the police to review nearby CCTV footage. The recordings soon revealed a crucial clue: two individuals had been seen entering the building before the fire, and only one — a young woman — was seen leaving just minutes before the flames engulfed the apartment.

That woman was soon identified as the victim’s live-in partner, a 21-year-old student of forensic science from Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh.

A Relationship Turned Dark

According to investigators, the relationship between the victim and the accused began in May and soon turned turbulent. While the couple initially appeared close, tensions emerged when the woman discovered that the victim had allegedly recorded obscene videos of her without consent. When she confronted him and demanded that he delete the recordings, he refused and reportedly taunted her, spreading false stories to humiliate her.

“Her discovery of those videos led to a major fallout,” a senior police officer said. “She felt betrayed, trapped, and furious. The relationship deteriorated quickly after that.”

Feeling helpless, the woman confided in her ex-boyfriend, a man from Moradabad who reportedly still had feelings for her. The two, along with one of his associates, allegedly decided to take revenge. According to the police, they spent days plotting how to kill the victim and destroy all evidence of their involvement.

Turning Knowledge of Crime into a Blueprint for Murder

The woman’s background in forensic science and her fascination with crime shows played a central role in how the murder was planned and executed. Investigators believe she used her understanding of how evidence can be destroyed — and how investigators typically reconstruct crime scenes — to devise a method that would confuse even trained forensic experts.

On the night of October 5, the trio arrived at the victim’s residence. At some point during the night, they allegedly strangled and beat him to death. Once he was dead, they poured a mixture of ghee (clarified butter) and alcohol over his body to serve as accelerants for the fire. “She was pursuing forensic science and later shifted to a computer science course,” said a senior officer. “Her studies gave her insights into how investigators work. She believed that burning the body completely would erase all physical evidence linking them to the murder.”

The plan was disturbingly elaborate. Her ex-boyfriend, who worked as an LPG gas distributor in Moradabad, used his technical knowledge of gas systems to manipulate a cylinder at the scene. He opened the regulator and left the gas leaking into the room before lighting a small fire using a lighter. They positioned the gas cylinder close to the victim’s head, expecting that it would explode after they left.

Roughly an hour later, the cylinder did explode, engulfing the entire room in flames. By the time emergency responders arrived, the victim’s body was almost completely charred.

Attempt to Erase All Evidence

Before fleeing the scene, the accused trio allegedly stole several items from the flat, including the victim’s hard disk, laptop, and mobile phones — presumably to remove any digital evidence of their communications or the videos that had sparked the confrontation. They also carried away some of his personal belongings in a trolley bag.

For several days, the fire appeared to have erased all traces of the crime. But forensic investigators quickly noticed inconsistencies that didn’t match a typical fire accident. The burn patterns on the walls, the state of the cylinder, and the position of the victim’s body raised questions.

How Police Tracked the Killers

The breakthrough came through a combination of CCTV footage, call detail records (CDRs), and technical surveillance. The movements of the suspects on the night of the incident were pieced together from security camera footage in and around Gandhi Vihar. The woman’s phone records also revealed her location near the crime scene during the time of the fire.

As investigators followed the digital trail, they found that the accused woman had travelled back to Moradabad soon after the incident. Acting on this lead, Delhi Police arrested her on October 18. Her ex-boyfriend was arrested three days later, on October 21, and their associate was taken into custody on October 23.

During interrogation, the accused reportedly confessed to their roles in the crime. Police recovered key evidence from their possession, including the victim’s hard disk, a trolley bag, his shirt, and two mobile phones.

The Motive and the Mindset

Investigators say the motive behind the murder was revenge — driven by humiliation, betrayal, and anger. What makes the case particularly disturbing is the calculated manner in which it was executed. The accused’s background in forensic science and her interest in crime-based shows allegedly gave her a sense of confidence that she could outsmart investigators.

“She knew how investigators think, how evidence behaves in fire, and how to make a murder look like an accident,” an officer involved in the case said. “It was an extremely deliberate act, not a crime of passion.”

Forensic Analysis and Ongoing Investigation

While the accused are now in custody, the forensic investigation continues. The police are awaiting the viscera report, which will determine the exact cause of death — whether the victim died before the fire or as a result of it. The report is expected to confirm whether the body had injuries consistent with strangulation, as suggested by preliminary findings.

The case has reignited discussions about how crime content and forensic studies can sometimes desensitise individuals to violence or even embolden them to experiment with real-life crime. “She tried to apply her theoretical knowledge to real-world crime,” a senior investigator commented. “It’s a reminder that expertise without empathy can be dangerous.”

As Delhi Police piece together the last moments of the victim’s life, the story that emerges is one of deception and revenge, carried out under the illusion of scientific precision. What was meant to be a perfect crime — erased by fire and smoke — has instead become a stark example of how no amount of forensic manipulation can outwit determined investigation.

For now, the accused remain in custody, and the investigation continues to determine the full extent of their roles and the timeline of the conspiracy. The case stands as a grim testament to how knowledge, when coupled with obsession and vengeance, can turn fatally destructive.