A former house help, Rahul Meena, allegedly raped and strangled the 22-year-old daughter of an IRS officer in southeast Delhi on April 22. The victim, an IIT graduate and UPSC aspirant preparing for her prelims, was alone at home. Police arrested the 23-year-old accused from Dwarka using CCTV footage, hotel WiFi records and other leads.
Rahul Meena entered the victim's home in southeast Delhi around 6:39 pm on April 22 and allegedly sexually assaulted and strangled her with a mobile phone charger within an hour, police said. Her parents returned around 8 am the next morning and found her bloodied, with torn clothes and lower body exposed. The accused left his blood-stained pants and shoes at the scene and fled with Rs 2.5 lakh in cash and a mobile phone.
Hours earlier in Alwar, Rajasthan, Meena allegedly raped his friend's wife around 10:30 pm and stole her dual-SIM phone. He had travelled from his hometown Rajgarh to Delhi in a hired Eeco van used as an ambulance. Alwar police registered a rape case. Meena previously worked as a cook at the IRS officer's home on another officer's recommendation but was sacked about a month ago for fraud and betting addiction.
Police formed 15 teams and tracked him via society CCTV footage. Leads from an auto-rickshaw driver, OYO hotel WiFi used for Instagram chats with his Gurgaon-based cousin, and IPDR records pinpointed him. His uncle helped recover three sold phones. Delhi Police noted that domestic helps require verification, which was not done in this case.
The victim was an IIT graduate, UPSC aspirant with prelims in three days, and acclaimed dancer. Her uncle said at a condolence meeting, "She was a prodigious student from the get-go... He targeted her for what?" Family and neighbours raised concerns over security in the upscale area.
