A 23-year-old former house help, Rahul Meena, is accused of carrying out two brutal sexual assaults within a span of less than 12 hours, beginning in Alwar and culminating in a rape and murder in Delhi. According to police, the sequence of events reflects a rapid escalation of violence, with the accused travelling nearly 200 kilometres overnight between the two locations.
The first incident reportedly occurred on Tuesday night, around 10:30 pm in Alwar, where the accused allegedly entered the house of his 22-year-old neighbour. Investigators said he physically overpowered her, covered her mouth, strangled her, and forced her to the ground before sexually assaulting her. He is also accused of biting the victim and threatening her with death if she disclosed the incident to anyone. Based on her complaint, local police registered an FIR and initiated an investigation.
Within hours of this assault, the accused travelled to Delhi and reached a residential society in the Kailash Hills area at approximately 6:30 am the following morning. Using his prior familiarity with the premises, he allegedly entered the flat of his former employer, where he had worked as a domestic help until a few months earlier. Police said he knew the layout of the house, access points, and locations of spare keys, which allowed him to bypass security measures without raising suspicion.
Once inside, he allegedly went directly to a rooftop study room where the 22-year-old victim, an engineering graduate preparing for UPSC examinations, was studying alone. According to investigators, he attacked her with a heavy object, causing severe injuries. When she resisted, he allegedly strangled her until she lost consciousness. Police suspect that she may have died during or shortly after the assault.
The accused is then alleged to have sexually assaulted the victim while she was unconscious, dragged her body down from the study room, and attempted to open a locker using her blood-covered fingers. When this failed, possibly because her circulation had already stopped, he reportedly used a screwdriver to break open the locker and stole cash and jewellery.
Investigators further stated that he changed out of his blood-stained clothes, wore clothing belonging to the victim’s brother, and fled the scene. CCTV footage later showed him leaving the premises carrying a backpack and wearing different attire, indicating an attempt to evade identification.
The crime came to light when the victim’s parents returned home around 8 am and found her lying in a pool of blood with signs of a violent struggle. She was rushed to a hospital but was declared dead on arrival. An autopsy conducted at AIIMS Delhi confirmed that the primary cause of death was strangulation, with multiple injuries, including abrasions, contusions, and a fractured nasal bone, indicating resistance. Forensic samples were preserved to determine evidence of sexual assault.
Following the incident, Delhi Police launched an extensive manhunt, forming multiple teams to track the accused. CCTV footage from the residential complex and surrounding areas helped establish his movements and escape route. Investigators identified an auto-rickshaw he boarded after leaving the crime scene and traced the driver, who revealed that he had dropped the accused at a hotel in Dwarka. Acting on this lead, police reached the location and arrested him within hours.
During interrogation, police found that the accused had previously been dismissed from the victim’s household due to dishonest behaviour and betting habits. He had reportedly taken money from the family for errands but failed to make payments, instead purchasing items on credit and keeping the cash. He had also borrowed money from others in the locality.
Officials stated that after his arrest, the accused showed no remorse and attempted to justify his actions, blaming his dismissal from employment. He has been remanded to police custody for further questioning, and authorities plan to reconstruct the sequence of events at both crime scenes in Delhi and Alwar as part of the ongoing investigation.
