Ex-Help Who Raped, Killed Woman Knew Family's Routine, Spare Key Placement

Rahul Meena - the 19-year-old former domestic help accused of raping two women in a 24-hour period - appeared to have planned his crimes in advance, police sources said.

He attended a wedding with a friend in Rajasthan's Alwar on Tuesday. He left the event early, citing “urgent work”, but later returned and allegedly raped that friend's wife. But he wasn't done.

Meena then sold a mobile phone for Rs 10,000 and booked a cab to Delhi for Rs 6,000, which he allegedly did not pay. He walked to the Kailash Hills area, where he allegedly raped and murdererd a 22-year-old Civil Services aspirant in her home.

The attack took place around 6.30 am, sources told NDTV. He entered the house at 6.39 am and left at 7.20 am - a span of 41 minutes during which the woman was allegedly raped and strangled with a mobile phone charger cable.

Sources said Meena had detailed knowledge of the family's daily routine, having worked there as a domestic help until recently, when he was reportedly dismissed over alleged financial irregularities.

The apartment in which the young woman and her parents lived.

He knew the woman's parents would leave early for a morning walk and gym session, and that their daughter would be alone at home. He also knew there would be no security guard at the building's main gate at that time.

He allegedly used this information to enter the building.

The family typically locked the front door when stepping out but left a spare key in a shoe rack outside for the maid. Police believe Meena retrieved this key, entered the house, and carried out the attack.

Reports indicate Meena also robbed the family of Rs 7 lakh kept inside a fingerprint-enabled locker.  He allegedly dragged the her body down a flight of stairs to use her fingerprint to open the locker, since it was coded to only the three family members.

The elevator in the building that needed an access card.

He later changed clothes - though it is unclear where he obtained them - and left the premises. CCTV footage showed him carrying a backpack he did not have earlier that morning. The backpack likely contained the stolen cash.

The woman's body was later discovered by her parents.

Police scanned CCTV footage from the area. It showed Meena hailing an auto rickshaw from the main road outside the colony. When police interrogated the rickshaw driver, he pointed them to a hotel in Dwarka, around 25km away.

Police raided the hotel, found Meena, and arrested him.

CCTV Footage Of Suspect | Month After Being Fired, Help Rapes, Kills IRS Officer's Daughter In Delhi https://t.co/0ZzThTWZ7R pic.twitter.com/JIakc80ZPm

— NDTV (@ndtv) April 22, 2026

The Delhi victim was the daughter of an Indian Revenue Service officer. The woman in Alwar was the wife of Meena's friend and belonged to a family that had previously rented a house to his family.

Motives remain unclear.

Police suspect revenge for his dismissal may have driven the Delhi attack, while the alleged assault in Alwar has, for now, been attributed to what investigators described as a “criminal mindset”. Meena faces charges of rape, robbery, and murder.