A posh South Delhi neighbourhood – Kailash Hills – has hit headlines for the shocking details and chain of events in the alleged rape and murder of a 22-year old woman by a former house help, who allegedly raped another woman hours before the crime in the national capital.
The victim, an IIT graduate who had been preparing for the civil services examination, was found by her parents when they returned from the gym at around 8 am on Wednesday. Her father is a civil servant; her mother, a dentist. Her brother, 25, lives and works in Maharashtra’s Mumbai.
Police arrested a 23-year old former household employee — identified as Rahul Meena — Delhi Police on Wednesday nabbed the accused, who allegedly strangled the victim with a mobile charger cable. The accused allegedly raped another woman in Rajasthan’s Alwar just hours before committing the Delhi crime.
Police suspect that the Delhi crime stemmed from the accused’s grudge against the family over releasing him from duty two months ago.
Shocking details in the Kailash Hills case
-The Delhi rape and murder: On Wednesday, Meena was seen in the locality at Kailash at around 6.30 am on CCTV footage, an earlier HT report quoted police as saying. He was spotted again in CCTV footage leaving the house around 7.15am, they added. Joint CP Kumar said he changed his pants and shoes before leaving. According to one of the investigators, Meena spent about 40 minutes inside, during which he allegedly raped and strangled the victim to death, and fled with cash and valuables in a black backpack.
-Motive behind Delhi crime: During preliminary interrogation, it emerged that the motive behind the rape-murder-robbery 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 told HT. According to the officer, the victim’s 55-year-old father told them that the suspect was employed by the family for roughly 10 months before being dismissed two months ago over his habit of borrowing small sums from neighbours.
-Another rape hours before Delhi crime: The investigation has revealed that the Meena allegedly raped another woman in Rajasthan’s Alwar just hours before committing the Delhi crime, and that his addiction to online gambling may have led him to the house in a bid to rob it on Wednesday morning.
-Raped wife of acquaintance in Alwar: According to police aware of the case details, Delhi cops found out about the other alleged rape when they reached Alwar to arrest him. Officials said Meena had travelled overnight to Delhi by hiring a van and then came straight to the house. When a Delhi Police team reached Alwar on Wednesday morning, they were informed that the police had received a complaint around 10 pm on Tuesday from a woman – the wife of one of Meena’s acquaintances – alleging that he had raped her that night.
-Raped while woman’s husband was away: The complainant alleged that the accused, a friend of her husband, came to her house late Tuesday night while her husband was attending a wedding and sexually assaulted her, said Alwar superintendent of police (SP) Sudhir Chaudhary. Alwar police said the accused and the woman’s husband were reportedly “associated through gambling activities.”
-How he reached Delhi: Investigators said Meena left Alwar shortly after the complaint was filed and made his way to Delhi. He allegedly sold one of his phones for ₹10,000, hired a van, promising to pay the driver ₹6,000 for the trip. “However, he reached Delhi and deboarded the van without paying the driver,” an officer said. He entered the house around 6.39 am, when he murdered the 22-year-old, said joint commissioner of police (southern range) Vijay Kumar.
-Entered the Delhi house despite strong security system: According to a senior police officer, the house had what the family described as a “strong” security system, with a digital lock on the main door of the third floor, a steel gate before the entry to the floor via the staircase, and another door outside the lift on the third floor. The steel door could only be opened using a smart card but there was one loophole.
-Accused knew of hidden smart card: Whenever the couple left for the gym, they would leave the door outside the lift open and take their own smart card for their return entry and hide one outside the house for the helps to enter, ensuring their daughter wasn’t disturbed while she slept, an officer said. All domestic helps – including Meena – knew about the spot where the smart card was hidden. “They would keep one smart key outside the main door for the helps, and they all knew where,” the officer said. Meena was aware of the couple’s routine and the placement of the key.
What residents said: Residents in the area confirmed that Meena had approached several people for money. A vegetable vendor who operates in the same street said, “He had asked me for money too, but I refused. I never gave him vegetables on credit unless he made me speak to his employer.”
-The postmortem: 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.
