Ex-help raped Alwar woman 12 hours before raping and killing IRS officer's daughter

A 23-year-old former house help allegedly carried out two rapes within 12 hours -- first in Rajasthan's Alwar and then in a Delhi apartment belonging to his former employer, the police said.

In Short

• 23-year-old house help raped neighbour in Alwar before fleeing to Delhi
• In Delhi, he raped and murdered IRS officer's daughter in her apartment
• Accused was fired earlier for betting habits and cheating employer's family

23-year-old Rahul Meena's night of violence began with a rape in Alwar and ended with an attack in Delhi. Over the course of under 12 hours, Rahul Meena first raped a woman in Rajasthan's Alwar before travelling nearly 200 km to the national capital, where he raped and killed a 22-year-old.

Rahul was arrested on Wednesday night, hours after the second crime -- the rape and murder of the daughter of an IRS officer in Delhi's posh Kailash Hills area. Incidentally, Rahul had been employed as a house help with the family up until a few months ago.

On Tuesday night at around 10.30 pm, the accused, Rahul Meena, allegedly entered his neighbour’s house in Alwar, pushed and assaulted her before raping her. He is also accused of covering her mouth, strangling her, and throwing her to the floor before committing the rape. He allegedly bit the victim at several places on her body.

While leaving around 11 pm, he threatened her and asked her to keep quiet, warning that if she informed anyone, he would kill her along with her husband and children. An FIR was registered by Alwar Police based on the survivor's complaint.

The next morning, Rahul reached Delhi and entered a housing society in south-east Delhi’s Kailash Hills at around 6:30 am. He then proceeded to his former employer’s flat at around 6.39 am.

He left the house around 7.30 am. When the woman's parents returned home from the gym at around 8 am, they found their daughter lying in a pool of blood.

Her clothes were torn, and she was found naked from the waist down.

THE HORROR THAT UNFOLDED INSIDE DELHI FLAT

According to the police, Rahul's familiarity with the house layout, and knowledge of access codes and spare key locations helped him bypass security and enter the home. After gaining entry, he headed straight to the victim’s study room, which was separately located on the rooftop of the flat.

The woman was studying for her UPSC exams when Rahul barged in and struck her with a lamp and a heavy object, causing her to bleed profusely. When she continued to resist, he strangled her, causing her to lose consciousness.

He then raped her while she was unconscious, dragged her from the study room, pulled her down the stairs into the room where the locker was kept, and tried to open it using her blood-soaked finger, but it did not open.

Police suspect that by this time her blood circulation may have stopped and her hands were covered in blood, which may be why the locker did not open. They believe she may already have been dead at this stage.

The accused then left her body on the floor.

He later used a screwdriver to open the locker and took cash and jewellery. He changed his blood-stained clothes, wore the victim’s brother’s pants and slippers found in the house, and fled the scene.

HOW DID POLICE TRACK HIM?

Delhi Police formed 15 teams to track the accused. Initial leads were gathered from CCTV cameras installed at the society gate and the building entrance where the victim lived. This helped police establish the direction in which the accused fled.

Further analysis of the footage helped identify the auto-rickshaw the accused boarded. The driver was traced and told police he had dropped the accused at a hotel. Police then reached the location in Dwarka and arrested him.

Rahul was sent to four-day police custody. Police said he will be questioned further and taken to reconstruct the crime scenes at the bureaucrat's home and in Alwar.

WHY WAS RAHUL FIRED FROM THE IRS OFFICER’S HOUSE?

The accused was hired by the IRS officer on the recommendation of another officer and worked there for nearly a year. He was later fired after the family discovered his betting habits.

To fund his betting, he allegedly cheated the family and also borrowed money from people in the area. For example, he would take money from the family to buy medicines but would not pay the shopkeeper, instead taking the medicines on credit. When the family found out, they dismissed him.

After his arrest, Rahul showed no remorse for the heinous crimes. Because he was fired, he said he was justified in his actions. "If didi had given the money, this would not have happened," he told police officials during questioning.

ACCUSED SEEN ON CCTV

Investigators have revealed that CCTV footage captured Meena entering the residential complex at around 6.28 am, dressed in a yellow shirt and black trousers. Approximately an hour later, footage shows him leaving at 7.22 am, wearing different attire -- white trousers and what seemed to be a full-sleeve yellow T-shirt.

According to sources, he was carrying a black backpack as he exited the upscale Kailash Hills residence. Investigators suspect he may have changed his clothes after committing the crime and briefly stopped at a nearby park before fleeing.

The victim, an engineering graduate and UPSC aspirant, was home alone at the time. Her parents discovered her lying in a pool of blood with belongings strewn across the house when they returned around 8 am. The victim’s clothes were found torn, and she was partially unclothed from the waist down.

Preliminary investigations suggest she was raped before being strangled, allegedly with a mobile phone charger cable. The police have filed a case of rape, murder, and robbery, although confirmation of sexual assault is pending the results of a medical examination.

Dr Sudhir Gupta, Head of the Forensic Department at AIIMS-Delhi, said that several samples, including swabs from private parts and nail scrapings, have been preserved and sent for further analysis to ascertain whether rape took place.

The victim was rushed to the Fortis Escorts Hospital where she was declared dead on arrival. According to the autopsy report from AIIMS Delhi, there were signs of assault, including strangulation, multiple abrasions and abraded contusions on both arms, hands and legs, as well as a nasal bone fracture, indicating a struggle. The primary cause of death was confirmed as strangulation.

Police stated that Meena was previously employed through a recommendation from another officer. During his employment, he reportedly took money from the family for errands but failed to pay shopkeepers, instead buying goods on credit. This behaviour reportedly led to his dismissal.

- Ends
Inputs from Arvind Ojha