An Indian migrant has been found guilty of murdering a woman at a London Airbnb after she confronted him over stolen money and rejected his attempts to continue their relationship.Deepak Sandhu, 24, was convicted at the Old Bailey on Thursday of murdering Xiaoqing Ke, 39, and attempting to pervert the course of justice by trying to flee the UK after her death, The Telegraph reported.Ke was found dead with a deep stab wound to her neck in a bedsit on Old Brompton Road, Earl’s Court, west London, on December 10 last year. Sandhu had travelled from Southampton to meet her and was preparing to leave the country after the killing, the court heard.Prosecutor Caroline Carberry KC told the jury that Sandhu had become obsessed with Ke and could not accept her rejection of him.“Xiaoqing Ke was murdered that evening by Deepak Sandhu who had become an obsessed, manipulative young man who could not accept her rejection of him, and carried out a brutal and fatal revenge attack on her before attempting to leave the country,” she said.Sandhu entered the UK in September 2024 on a student visa to study artificial intelligence. His visa was revoked six months later, after he left his university course in Southampton due to poor attendance, the court heard, according to the outlet.Ke had arrived from China on a visitor visa in early 2025. She met Sandhu when she worked at a brothel in Southampton where he was a customer. They remained in contact after she moved to London.Their relationship deteriorated after Ke discovered that Sandhu had taken £500 from her handbag. Carberry told the court that he then made a series of false claims to explain his behaviour and mislead Ke about his circumstances.Sandhu had presented himself as a model and actor, claimed he was living with his sister in Southampton and said he had travelled to the US for an audition. His sister was actually in India, and the trip had not taken place, the court heard.He also claimed to have been robbed at gunpoint in the US of £3,500 and to have secured a bank job paying £6,000 a month. Neither claim was true, the prosecution said.By the time of Ke’s death, she had challenged him over the lies and demanded repayment. In a message to him, she wrote: “Don’t come see me. I’m clear, I’m not a fool.”Sandhu responded with controlling and abusive messages. He also warned Ke’s former employer that she would “regret what she has done”, while asking an associate on WhatsApp whether he should take revenge on her.The court heard that he continued to ask Ke for another chance, promising to repay the money and claiming he could help her obtain British citizenship through a contact.Sandhu travelled from Southampton on December 9 last year, carrying a knife. Doorbell camera footage from Ke’s Airbnb showed him arriving with his face covered and wearing a baseball cap. He left about 90 minutes later, the court heard.After the killing, he called his sister in India and booked a flight from Birmingham to Mumbai. He was arrested on December 12 while travelling on a National Express coach from Southampton to Birmingham Airport.Sandhu admitted lying to Ke about being an actor and taking her money, telling the court he had struggled financially while relying on construction work and help from relatives. However, he denied being responsible for her death.He claimed Ke had asked him to wait in a laundry room while she dealt with a customer and insisted she was alive when he left.“I am not a dangerous man. I am not capable of killing,” he told the court.The jury reached its verdict after deliberating for two hours on Thursday, finding Sandhu guilty of murder and attempting to pervert the course of justice.
