Had didi given money...: Ex-help remorseless after killing IRS officer's daughter

During questioning, Rahul Meena, 23, maintained a calm and composed demeanour, and stressed that he had only gone to the IRS officer's home in Delhi's upscale Kailash Hills to get money.

In Short

• Rahul Meena raped, assaulted, strangled IRS officer's daughter at her Delhi home
• He worked as househelp at officer's home, was fired over financial misconduct claims
• He knew home's security, lock passcodes and where spare keys were kept

Rahul Meena, who brutally killed an IRS officer's 22-year-old daughter at their home in Delhi, has shown zero remorse during interrogation. He had maintained a calm and composed demeanour, and allegedly told investigators that had the victim given him money, the rape and murder would not have happened. "If didi had given the money, this would not have happened," he said in a matter-of-fact manner, stressing that his intention to go to the bureaucrat's house was solely to get money.

"It just happened," he told investigators, news agency ANI reported.

Police sources further said the accused told investigators that the IRS officer's family treated him very well and gave him a monthly salary of Rs 20,000, excluding bonuses. He also said during questioning that he gained entry into the house by falsely claiming that the victim's mother, whom he referred to as "aunty", had called him to give him money. Aunty ne bulaya tha for money: these were his exact words to investigators.

Meena has been remanded to four days' in police custody after he was produced before the Saket court. Police sources said that custody is vital to reconstruct the sequence of events, verify forensic and digital evidence, and ascertain the full motive behind the crime.

Gruesome details have emerged in the case that has sent shock waves across the national capital.

Meena worked at the bureaucrat's home for nearly eight months before being fired six weeks ago after complaints of financial misconduct. He was reportedly drowned in heavy debts and was also addicted to online games.

Furthermore, Meena was familiar with the four-layered security in the victim's Delhi home, which included locks on each floor and also on the lift. At least four locks needed to be unlocked to get to where the victim was present at the time of the crime, and three of them had passcodes. The accused knew the codes and also the place where spare keys for servants were placed.

He barged into the rooftop study room where the victim, an engineering graduate and an UPSC aspirant, was studying. Her parents were at the gym at the time. Meena had been waiting outside the home and only entered after the IRS officer and his wife left for their daily morning activities.

Meena remained inside the house for almost an hour. During this time, he first asked the victim for money. Upon being denied, he struck her with a lamp and another heavy object, causing her to bleed profusely and become unconscious. Then, he strangled her, raped her while she was unconscious, dragged her down the stairs to the safe room, and used her blood-soaked fingers to open the locker. However, the biometrics didn't work, which investigators believe is either because her blood circulation had stopped by then or the blood stains prevented her fingerprints from getting detected.

Police suspect that the 22-year-old had already died by this time.

The accused used a screwdriver to open the locker, grabbed cash and jewellery and stuffed them into a bag he found lying in the house. He also changed into the victim's brother's pants and slippers after noticing blood in his own outfit. Then he left the body on the floor and fled the scene.

Postmortem report confirmed death due to strangulation after an assault. The report cited multiple abrasions and abraded contusions on both arms, hands and legs, besides a nasal-bone fracture. Her clothes were torn, and she was found naked from the waist down.

Before coming to Delhi on April 22 morning, Rahul Meena raped his neighbour in Alwar for 12 hours the previous night.

Delhi Police had formed as many as 12 teams to catch the Rajasthan native. He was caught from a hotel in Dwarka in Delhi.

- Ends