Delhi Police on 23 April arrested 23-year-old Rahul Meena, a former domestic help from Rajasthan’s Alwar district, hours after he raped two women and killed one of them in a span of just less than 12 hours. He first raped a woman in Rajasthan’s Alwar, then travelled to Delhi, where he raped and murdered a 22-year-old woman, the daughter of a senior Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer, at her residence in south Delhi’s Kailash Hills area.
The arrest, made late on Wednesday from a hotel in Dwarka, came within hours of the crime and has revealed a shocking 24-hour crime spree.
#WATCH | Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer's daughter murder case in Delhi | Accused Rahul Meena brought to Amar Colony Police Station. pic.twitter.com/v4bBbHygNU
— ANI (@ANI) April 23, 2026
According to police, Meena had worked as a domestic help in the Delhi victim’s household for around eight months before being sacked approximately one to one-and-a-half months earlier. His dismissal stemmed from financial misconduct, including borrowing money from the family, other domestic workers, and local shopkeepers to fund an online gambling and betting addiction. Officers suspect this debt, combined with possible revenge for his termination, motivated the Delhi attack, though investigators have described the Alwar assault as driven by a “criminal mindset.”
The rape in Alwar
On Tuesday, Meena attended a friend’s wedding in Alwar. He left the event early, claiming urgent work, but later returned to the friend’s house at around 10.30 pm. There, he allegedly assaulted and raped the friend’s wife while her husband was still at the wedding. He is accused of covering her mouth, strangling her, and throwing her to the floor before committing the rape. He also allegedly bit the victim at several places on her body.
The victim, whose family had previously rented a house to Meena’s family, filed a complaint with Alwar Police later that night. She alleged that Meena threatened to kill her if she spoke out. A rape case was immediately registered against him in Alwar.
Meena then sold a mobile phone for ₹10,000, and hired a taxi to travel to Delhi for ₹6,000.
The Delhi Rape-Murder
Early on Wednesday, Meena reached a housing society in south-east Delhi’s Amar Colony at around 6:30 am, and went to the house of the IRS officer where he had worked. He had intimate knowledge of the household routine; he knew the parents left early for their morning walk and gym session, leaving their daughter alone, and that there was no security guard at the main gate at that hour, and a key was kept at a shoe rack. Using this knowledge, he entered the premises without forced entry.
The 22-year-old victim, an IIT graduate and UPSC civil services aspirant who was studying in a terrace room, was alone in the house. Meena retrieved the spare key kept in the shoe rack outside and gained access around 6:39 am. He spent approximately 41 minutes inside the residence. During this time, he allegedly raped the woman and strangled her to death using a mobile phone charging cable. When she resisted, he also attacked her with a blunt object, believed to be a lamp recovered from the scene.
According to the probe, he first strangled the victim with a mobile phone charging cable before hitting her with a heavy object, rendering her unconscious. He then proceeded to rape her when she was still unconscious. He then dragged her down the stairs to another room where a locker was kept, in an attempt to open it using her fingerprint.
He then forced it open using a screwdriver and stole cash and jewellery worth an estimated ₹2 to ₹2.5 lakh. He also changed his trousers and shoes, and fled carrying a black backpack he had not been seen with earlier.
CCTV footage captured him entering and leaving the building. The victim’s parents discovered her body upon returning home and rushed her to the hospital, where she was declared dead. Delhi Police registered a case of rape and murder at the local station.
How Police Tracked and Arrested Meena
Delhi Police formed 15 specialised teams and launched a massive manhunt involving coordinated raids across Delhi, Rajasthan, and neighbouring areas. Investigators pieced together Meena’s movements through extensive CCTV analysis, including footage of an auto-rickshaw he boarded after the crime. The driver provided crucial leads that directed teams to a hotel in Dwarka, around 25 km from the crime scene.
Digital forensics played a key role, Meena had used a stolen mobile phone linked to the Alwar incident, which he later sold for around ₹10,000 to fund his travel. Hotel Wi-Fi access logs, internet protocol detail records (IPDR), IP data, and his Instagram communications, including contact with a relative in Gurugram, helped confirm his location. He was arrested late on Wednesday evening after a brief surveillance operation.
Joint Commissioner of Police (Southern Range) Vijay Kumar confirmed that Meena has been charged with rape, murder, and robbery. Interrogation is ongoing, with police seeking his remand for further recoveries and to establish the full sequence of events.
The case has sent shockwaves through Delhi’s upscale neighbourhoods, raising questions about the vetting of domestic staff and home security. Meena, a native of Rajgarh tehsil in Alwar, is currently in Delhi Police custody. According to police sources, he has shown no visible remorse during interrogation and has maintained a composed and calm demeanour.
He reportedly told investigators that he had gone to the house only to take money and repeatedly stated that the rape and murder “just happened.” He claimed, “if didi had given the money, this would not have happened.”
#WATCH | Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer's daughter murder case in Delhi | Delhi Police bring accused Rahul Meena to Delhi's Saket Court. pic.twitter.com/e1dzWspVTw
— ANI (@ANI) April 23, 2026
Meena was produced at Delhi’s Saket court after the arrest, and the court granted police custody for four days. An FIR has been lodged at the Amar Colony police station in connection with the crime. Delhi police had sought 4 days’ custody of Rahul Meena to recover his mobile phone, to examine his family members and to verify whether there is any other person involved in the crime.
When Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) Deepika Thakran asked Meena why he entered the house, he said that it was his mistake, and he couldn’t say anything now.
Rajasthan Police have now formed a special team to investigate the case fully, and Alwar Superintendent of Police Sudhir Chaudhary confirmed that the accused is in Delhi Police custody while they pursue leads.
