IRS officer's daughter's killer showed psychopathic traits with violent past: Probe

Investigators in the Delhi IRS officer’s daughter murder case have described the accused, 23-year-old Rahul Meena, as having psychopathic tendencies and a history of violent behaviour, according to sources. They said Meena was already infamous in his village for his aggression and addicted to Teen Patti card games and also used to bet on other apps as well.

Delhi Police have recovered more than Rs 1 lakh in cash and stolen jewellery from Meena. The recovery was made from a hotel room in Dwarka, where he had been staying after the crime. Police said he paid the hotel rent using money stolen from the victim’s house. During interrogation, Meena admitted to two rape cases so far. Investigators are also identifying people who had lent him money, as he was addicted to online betting and frequently borrowed funds to gamble.

2 RAPES WITHIN 12 HOURS

The case involves a chilling sequence of crimes committed within a span of less than 12 hours. On Tuesday night around 10:30 pm, Meena allegedly entered a neighbour’s house in Rajasthan’s Alwar, assaulted her, and raped her. He allegedly strangled and threatened her before fleeing around 11 pm, warning her against reporting the crime. An FIR was later registered based on the survivor’s complaint.

The next morning, Meena travelled nearly 200 km to Delhi and entered a residential society in south-east Delhi’s Kailash Hills at around 6:30 am. He proceeded to the flat of his former employer, an IRS officer, where he had worked as a house help until a few months ago.

Police said Meena used his familiarity with the house layout, access codes, and spare key locations to enter the flat. He went to the rooftop study room, where the 22-year-old victim, an engineering graduate and UPSC aspirant, was studying. He allegedly attacked her with a lamp and a heavy object, causing severe injuries. When she resisted, he strangled her until she lost consciousness.

DRAGGED BODY TO OPEN SAFE

Investigators said he then raped her while she was unconscious, dragged her body downstairs, and attempted to open a locker using her blood-soaked finger. When this failed, he used a screwdriver to break open the locker and stole cash and jewellery. He changed out of his blood-stained clothes, wore the victim’s brother’s clothes, and fled.

The victim’s parents returned from the gym around 8 am and found her lying in a pool of blood. Her clothes were torn, and she was partially unclothed from the waist down. She was rushed to hospital but was declared dead on arrival. The autopsy confirmed strangulation as the cause of death, along with multiple injuries indicating a struggle.

CCTV CAPTURES ACCUSED

CCTV footage captured Meena entering society at 6:28 am and leaving around 7:22 am in different clothes, carrying a black backpack. Police tracked his movement through CCTV analysis and identified the auto-rickshaw he took. The driver led them to a hotel in Dwarka, where Meena was arrested.

Delhi Police formed 15 teams to track him down. He has been sent to four-day police custody and will be taken to reconstruct the crime scenes in both Delhi and Alwar.

FIRED OVER BETTING HABITS

Investigators revealed that Meena had been fired from the IRS officer’s household after the family discovered his betting habits and financial misconduct. He allegedly cheated the family and borrowed money from multiple sources to fund his gambling addiction.

Police said Meena showed no remorse during questioning and attempted to justify his actions, claiming the crime would not have happened if he had been given money.

- Ends