Police probe premeditation in south Delhi murder

New details have emerged in the brutal murder of the 22-year-old daughter of an Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer in south Delhi, with the police piecing together how the crime was committed.

Delhi Police said the accused, 19-year-old Rahul Meena, a former domestic help at the officer’s residence, had arrived in Delhi on Tuesday after allegedly raping a woman in Alwar less than 24 hours earlier. He then allegedly sold a mobile phone for Rs 10,000 and hired a cab to Delhi. From there, he made his way to the residence of his former employer, police said.

Meena had worked at the house for several months before being dismissed about six weeks earlier. During that time, he became familiar with the family’s daily schedule. Police said he knew the parents left for the gym every morning, leaving their daughter alone at home. He also knew where a spare key was kept for domestic staff, allowing him to enter without forcing his way in.

During questioning, Meena reportedly told investigators that he had gone to the house to get money. He said the crime would not have happened if the victim had given him cash. Police sources said he showed little remorse during interrogation.

According to the police, after he reached the house, he went directly to the terrace study room, where the victim was preparing for the civil services examination. When questioned about his presence, he told her that her mother had called him for some work.

Police said he then demanded money. When the woman refused, an argument broke out. Investigators said Meena attacked her with a lamp and another heavy object, causing injuries to her face and head. He then strangled her using a mobile phone charging cable. According to the probe, he raped her while she was unconscious.

After the assault, Meena attempted to open a locker in the house. Police said he dragged the woman from the study room to another room where the locker was located. He tried to unlock it using her fingerprint on a biometric scanner, but it did not work. Investigators believe she may have died by then, which could explain why the scanner failed to recognise her fingerprint.

He then used a screwdriver to break open the locker and took cash and jewellery. Police said he packed the items in a bag found in the house. Before leaving, he changed out of his blood-stained clothes and wore trousers belonging to the victim’s brother. He also changed his footwear to avoid suspicion.

Meena, whose face was covered with a cloth, was produced in the jam-packed courtroom around 2.30 pm on Thursday. “Mujhse apradh ho gaya.... Galti ho gayi,” (I committed a crime, a mistake), said Rahul Meena, as a city court sent him to four days of police custody.

The victim, an engineering graduate, had studied at a leading Delhi school and later graduated from a premier institute. She was preparing for the civil services examination and had recently begun a new study routine, starting early in the morning. Her parents found her when they returned from the gym around 8 am. She was taken to the hospital, where she was declared dead. A postmortem confirmed death due to strangulation, along with multiple injuries.