‘Crucial evidence’ gathered in Kailash Hills rape-murder case: Delhi Police tell court

Delhi Police has gathered crucial evidence in the rape and murder of a 22-year-old woman, with statements from key witnesses and ongoing forensic analysis.

The Delhi Police on Monday told a city court that they gathered “crucial evidence” in the rape and murder of a 22-year-old woman in South Delhi’s Kailash Hills. They also recorded statements from the Dwarka hotel manager where the accused stayed and from the e-rickshaw driver who drove the man around.

‘Crucial evidence’ gathered in Kailash Hills rape-murder case: Delhi Police tell court

“Several crucial evidence have been recovered including a detailed analysis of the entry and exit points that the accused took from the house and how he carried out the crime,” the investigating officer told the told the Saket courts when the accused Rahul Kumar Meena was produced before judicial magistrate first class.

The officer said that they have collected a detailed statement of the manager of a hotel in Palam where Meena stayed after committing the crime, and check-in details and other documents have been recovered.

“The statement of another crucial witness, an e-rickshaw driver who took the accused to the hotel from the Palam railway station, has been recorded to recreate the route map he took after the offence. The statement of a taxi driver who drove the accused to the crime spot is yet to be taken,” the officer said.

Meanwhile, forensics report on the samples drawn from the spot and the accused’s mobile phone, are yet to be obtained, police said.

During the session on Monday, the court also asked media to ensure that sensitive details pertaining to the victim and her family are not revealed while reporting on the case.

The court made the observations after the prosecutor submitted that the father of the victim had moved an application before the police, seeking to ensure any detail which identified the victim or her family not be published on any news publication.

The directions were issued after additional public prosecutor Akashmani Tripathi argued that several news websites had allegedly broadcasted the address of the victim and sensitive details about her family, which might jeopardise the case.

Meena, a former employee of the victim’s family, allegedly entered the Kailash Hills home using a hidden key after the parents left. He is accused of strangling the 22-year-old, raping and violently beating her. He then allegedly attempted to open a locker using her fingerprints before fleeing with over ₹12 lakh worth of cash and jewellery. Meena was later arrested from a hotel in Dwarka.

In his previous court appearance, Meena told the court that he allegedly “made a mistake” and committed the crime “for money”.

“Galti hogayi. Maine paise ke liye kiya. Fingerprint chahiye tha locker kholne ke liye (I made a mistake. I did it for money. I needed her fingerprint to open the locker),” he told the court.

The court had noted that the crime was “exceptionally serious” and “brutal” which involved sexual assault upon the victim and her subsequent murder by strangulation.