Rape in Alwar, murder in Delhi, arrest in Dwarka: What unfolded in IRS officer’s daughter case in 48 hours

Police have arrested a 23-year-old former household employee, identified as Rahul Meena. He is currently in four-day judicial custody.

The alleged rape and murder of a 22-year-old woman in south Delhi’s Kailash Hills, Amar Colony area, by a former domestic help has made headlines due to the nature of the incident and the harrowing series of events that unfolded over the last 48 hours.

Delhi Police officials and forensic team members are seen at a residence in Kailash Hills, Amar Colony area, in New Delhi. (Sanjeev Verma/Hindustan Times)

Police have arrested a 23-year-old former household employee, identified as Rahul Meena. He is currently in four-day judicial custody.

Here's how sequence of events unfolded in the case:

Tuesday night: Alleged assault in Alwar

According to police, Rahul allegedly raped another woman in Rajasthan’s Alwar just hours before committing the crime in Delhi. The complainant alleged that the accused, a friend of her husband, visited her house late Tuesday night while her husband was attending a wedding and sexually assaulted her, Alwar Superintendent of Police (SP) Sudhir Chaudhary said. Police in Alwar added that the accused and the woman’s husband were reportedly associated through gambling activities, as reported earlier by HT.

Wednesday morning: Rahul travels to Delhi

Police said Rahul travelled to Delhi the next morning. Investigators said Rahul left Alwar shortly after the complaint was filed and travelled to Delhi.

He allegedly sold one of his phones for Rs10,000 and hired a van, promising the driver ₹6,000 for the trip. “However, he reached Delhi and got off the van without paying the driver,” an officer said.

Rahul heads to house in Kailash Hills at 6:28am

The accused was seen entering the house in Kailash Hills at 6:28 am in the CCTV footage. According to a senior police officer, the house had what the family described as a “strong” security system, including a digital lock on the main door of the third floor, a steel gate at the staircase entry to the floor, and another door outside the lift on the third floor. The steel door could only be opened using a smart card. However, police said there was a loophole in the system.

Accused was aware of hidden smart card used for entry

The couple would leave the door outside the lift open whenever they went to the gym and carry their own smart card for re-entry, while keeping another card hidden outside the house for domestic helps to use, ensuring their daughter was not disturbed while sleeping, earlier HT reported.

The police officer said all domestic helps, including Meena, were aware of the location where the smart card was kept. “They would keep one smart key outside the main door for the helps, and they all knew where it was,” the officer said. Investigators added that Meena was familiar with the couple’s routine and the placement of the key.

Inside the house for 40 minutes: Assault and murder

Police said after entering the house he went directly to a rooftop study where the officer’s daughter, an IIT graduate preparing for civil services, was present.

Police allege that he attacked the woman, strangled her using a mobile phone charging cable and struck her with a heavy object, rendering her unconscious. A police official told news agency PTI, “The investigation suggests that the accused raped the victim while she was still unconscious. He then dragged her down the stairs to another room where a locker was kept, and attempted to open the biometric lock using her fingerprint, but it did not open.”

He then broke open the locker using a screwdriver, took cash and jewellery, changed his clothes and left the house.

Details in high-profile Delhi crime. (HT ghraphic)

Around 8am incident comes to light

The incident came to light when the victim’s parents returned home around 8am and found their daughter unresponsive. She was taken to hospital where she was declared brought dead.

What CCTV footage shows?

Police said CCTV footage shows Rahul entering the colony around 6:30 am, entering the house at 6:49 am and leaving at 7:20 am.

Arrest in Dwarka on Wednesday

After leaving the house, the accused took an autorickshaw to a hotel in Dwarka where he had checked in. Police traced the vehicle and identified the driver during the investigation. He was later arrested from the hotel on Wednesday.

Forensic findings

Dr Sudhir Gupta of AIIMS Delhi said the post-mortem showed multiple injuries, including abrasions and a nasal fracture. The findings indicated death due to strangulation following assault. Samples have been preserved for further analysis.

Court proceedings and custody

The accused was produced before Judicial Magistrate Deepika Thakaran, where he said, “Mujhse apradh ho gaya... Galti ho gayi.” The court granted Delhi Police four days of custodial interrogation.

Officials said he has changed his statements multiple times during questioning.

What did postmortem reveal?

A postmortem conducted later on Wednesday confirmed the victim had been sexually assaulted; strangulation was established as the cause of death. The body was subsequently handed over to the family for last rites.

Ongoing investigation across two states

Police said they will reconstruct the sequence of events from Alwar to Kailash Hills and then to Dwarka. He is also likely to be taken back to Alwar, where a separate rape case has been registered against him.

“Our teams are working to ascertain the exact chain of events, both in Rajasthan and Delhi. We are also scanning the trail of CCTV footage,” an official said.