A 25-year-old software engineer from Uttar Pradesh was found murdered in a rented accommodation in Gurugram, while her colleague was later found dead on nearby railway tracks in what police suspect to be a murder-suicide. Investigators, however, said the motive behind the incident is still unclear.
The deceased woman, Insharah Ayyubi, a resident of Sitapur in Uttar Pradesh, worked as a software engineer at Optum, an international healthcare services company. The man, Shresth Malik, 25, from Bhilai in Chhattisgarh, was an artificial intelligence engineer at the same company.
Woman Found Dead After Family Reports Her Missing
According to police, Insharah’s family approached Sector 56 police station after they were unable to contact her for an extended period. Her phone’s last location was traced to a rented room in Sector 55, where Malik was staying.
Police forced open the locked room and found Insharah lying in a pool of blood.
Preliminary investigation revealed that she had suffered multiple stab wounds and her throat had been slit. A post-mortem examination conducted on Monday found six injuries on her neck, chest, face and back, including one deep wound to the neck.
Police said the condition of the body indicated that she had died nearly 24 hours before it was discovered.
Colleague’s Body Found on Railway Tracks
While Gurugram Police were investigating the murder, the Government Railway Police (GRP) informed them that the body of a young man had been recovered from railway tracks near Garhi station on Saturday.
The deceased was later identified as Shresth Malik through documents and his mobile phone. Police initially believed it was a railway accident, but after discovering Insharah’s body, investigators began treating the case as a suspected murder followed by suicide.
No suicide note has been recovered.
Both Worked Together at Same Company
Police said both Insharah and Shresth joined Optum in July 2025 and travelled together in the company’s office cab.
Investigators said Insharah had shifted from her paying guest accommodation to Malik’s rented room on July 1. Police are examining whether the two were in a personal relationship, though no conclusion has been reached.
According to investigators, Shresth graduated from the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Raipur and had interned with Samsung before joining Optum. Insharah completed her B.Tech in Computer Science from Jamia Millia Islamia before joining the company.
Forensic Examination Underway
Sector 56 police station SHO Manoj Kumar said a murder case has been registered against Malik based on a complaint filed by Insharah’s family.
“The probe is underway, and we will be calling the parents of both for detailed questioning,” Kumar said.
Police have seized the mobile phones, laptops and other electronic devices of both deceased engineers for forensic examination. Officers are also analysing CCTV footage from the accommodation and nearby areas to reconstruct the sequence of events.
The suspected murder weapon, a knife recovered from Malik’s room, has been sent for forensic analysis.
The bodies have been handed over to the families after post-mortem examinations, while police said investigations are continuing to determine what led to the tragic incident.
