Social media videos by Aqil Akhtar raised fresh suspicion in his death; Panchkula police filed an FIR against ex-Punjab DGP Mohammad Mustafa and family and formed an SIT.
A family tragedy in Panchkula took a dramatic turn after old social media posts by 35-year-old Aqil Akhtar surfaced, prompting police to reopen his death as a suspected murder and register an FIR against his parents — former Punjab DGP Mohammad Mustafa and ex-minister Razia Sultana — along with other relatives. Aqil was found unconscious at his home on the night of October 16 and later pronounced dead; the family initially reported a suspected drug overdose. The social posts, recorded in August, alleged threats from family members, claimed an affair between his father and wife and warned he feared for his life — posts that an acquaintance highlighted at a press briefing and which spurred fresh police action.
Panchkula police say the videos and photographs raised sufficient suspicion to register charges including murder and criminal conspiracy under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita; a Special Investigation Team (SIT) led by an ACP-rank officer has been formed to probe the case “with an open mind,” officials said. Aqil’s later posts — one in which he appeared to retract earlier allegations and reference mental illness — complicate the timeline and are now part of the evidence the SIT will examine. The incident has drawn national attention because of the accused’s public profiles and the unusual role social media evidence played in reopening the file.
For publishers and search optimisation, target long-tail queries such as “how son’s social media posts led to murder case Punjab,” “Panchkula FIR Mustafa Razia Sultana,” and “SIT probe Aqil Akhtar timeline” alongside short keywords like “Aqil Akhtar death,” “former Punjab DGP FIR,” and “social media evidence murder case” to capture high-intent traffic and trending search interest.
