Man who raped-murdered IRS's daughter raped another woman hours earlier
What's the story
A former house help who raped a 22-year-old Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) graduate and murdered her at her home in East of Kailash, Delhi, is believed to have raped another woman hours before committing the crime. The victim, daughter of an Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer, was discovered by her family. Preliminary investigations indicate she may have been sexually assaulted and strangled by the accused, Rahul Meena, with a mobile phone charger cable.
Criminal history
Rahul was fired over a month ago
Rahul, who worked as a domestic help at the IRS officer's house, has been arrested from a hotel in the Dwarka area. Rahul was fired from his job over a month ago for frequently borrowing money from other servants without repaying them. After the incident was reported, police tracked his movements and arrested him at the hotel. During their investigation, officers discovered that just hours before the Delhi murder, Rahul had allegedly raped another woman in his village in Alwar.
Police
Alwar woman was alone
According to police, Meena had traveled overnight to Delhi by hiring a van after raping the woman. When a Delhi Police team reached Alwar on Wednesday morning, they were told that the police had received a complaint from a woman, alleging that he had raped her. Alwar superintendent of police (SP) Sudhir Chaudhary said the complainant claimed that the accused sexually attacked her at her home late Tuesday night when her husband was away for a wedding.
Family ties
Links between the families
The survivor in Alwar told her family about the incident. Rahul was reportedly friends with the husband of the Alwar victim, and they often played Ludo together. The accused's family had previously lived as tenants in her house, and there were links between the two families. After committing the sexual assault in Alwar, he reportedly hired a van to travel overnight from Alwar to Delhi, promising to pay the driver ₹6,000 for the trip but left without paying.
Crime
Family employed Meena for 10 months
Upon reaching Delhi, he entered the victim's house around 6:39am on Wednesday morning and allegedly raped and strangled the 22-year-old woman before fleeing with cash and valuables. The victim's father, a civil servant, confirmed that Meena had been employed by their family for around 10 months before being dismissed two months ago due to his habit of borrowing small amounts from neighbors.
Residents
Rahul was aware of the family's routine
The family had a "strong" security system at their home with digital locks and steel gates. However, they would leave one smart key outside for domestic helps when they went out. Rahul was aware of the family's routine and where they hid the spare key. Residents confirmed he had asked for money from several people in the area. A vegetable vendor recalled, "He had asked me for money too, but I refused."
Ongoing probe
Joint Commissioner of Police Vijay Kumar statement
The motive behind this killing is still under investigation by police officials who are looking into possible resentment over his dismissal from work as a potential factor. The motive may also be "revenge or a grudge he was holding against the family for letting him go, but we will ascertain that after detailed questioning," an officer said. Joint Commissioner of Police Vijay Kumar said that while it's possible Rahul has a criminal mindset, more details will be confirmed through interrogation.