Former AI student convicted of murdering woman in London Airbnb revenge attack

A jury at the Old Bailey convicted 24-year-old Deepak Sandhu of murdering 39-year-old Xiaoqing Ke in an Airbnb bedsit on Old Brompton Road, Earl’s Court. Sandhu, who had left a university AI program and falsely claimed to be a model and actor, bought knives at Asda and travelled from Southampton to London. Prosecutors said he stole £500 from Ke, threatened her with revenge, and carried out a fatal stabbing after she confronted him about the theft.

After the attack, Sandhu called his sister in India, booked a flight to Mumbai, and was detained on a National Express coach en route to Birmingham Airport. The jury found him guilty of murder and of attempting to obstruct justice by trying to leave the country. The case highlighted his pattern of deception, including fabricated stories about a US audition and a nonexistent university graduation.