They needed house help and hired a 19-year-old Rahul Meena through a reference. Eight months later, the family of a senior Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer in South Delhi fired him owing to numerous complaints about him borrowing money and never repaying the sum.
The family thought this was the end of the story until Rahul Meena made a secret return a month after he was sacked.
Rahul Meena raped the IRS officer's 22-year-old daughter before strangling her with a phone charger. He then changed clothes and allegedly stole around Rs 2.5 lakh before fleeing the crime spot.
The incident took place at the bureaucrat's residence in southeast Delhi's upscale Kailash Hills locality on Wednesday morning.
Rape, Murder, Robbery
The woman, a UPSC aspirant, was found by her family inside the house under suspicious circumstances, after which the authorities were alerted. According to the CCTV footage, Meena changed his clothes and shoes after committing the horrendous crime.
"Meena returned to Delhi on Wednesday. After the incident, he changed his trousers and shoes. The t-shirt or shirt is still there. We have evidence," Joint Commissioner of Police Vijay Kumar said.
According to sources, since Meena's trousers and shoes were soiled with blood stains, he changed into woman's brother's trousers and a pair of slippers found lying around.
Investigation has revealed that Meena, who was familiar with the family's routine and what was kept in the house and where, stole around Rs 2.5 lakh.
"As we have received information from the complainant, it appears he (accused) may have stolen Rs 2 to 2.5 lakh from the premises. We have also made certain recoveries, details of which we will share with you later," said Kumar.
Online Game Addiction
The initial investigation has also revealed that Meena was addicted to online games for which he would borrow money from peers.
"He would borrow money from other servants in the vicinity, or from domestic staff working in nearby households, without ever repaying them. This is why he was fired," Kumar added.
Before Delhi, Accused Raped Friend's Wife In Alwar
Meena was in Alwar before coming to Delhi on Wednesday morning, where, according to the police, he allegedly raped another woman in his village.
Meena was friends with the Alwar victim's husband, and they frequently played Ludo together. His family had previously lived as tenants in the victim's house, and there were existing links between the two families.
After the sexual assault, the survivor confided in her husband.
A rape case was registered against Meena in Alwar.
Trip To Delhi
Meena sold a mobile phone for Rs 10,000 and booked a car from Alwar to Delhi for Rs 6,000. Upon reaching Delhi, he fled without paying the driver and from there, he walked to the IRS officer's house.
As seen in CCTV footage, he entered the colony at around 6:30 am and nine minutes later he stepped into the house. Nearly an hour later, at 7:20 am, he is seen leaving the house.
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
According to the investigators, Meena was familiar with the family's routine and knew the woman would be alone at home while her parents would be out for their daily morning walk and gym. He was also aware of the secret place - a shoe rack - used to keep a key card to access the house.
"Regarding the motive behind this incident, he (Meena) committed a similar crime in Alwar... He may have such a mindset; this will be further confirmed during the ongoing interrogation. Additionally, since he had been dismissed from a job here in Delhi, a sense of grudge could also be a contributing factor," Kumar added.
Meena was arrested from a hotel in Delhi's Dwarka area, where he had been hiding. He is being charged with rape, murder and robbery, police said.
Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world
