Delhi Police files 973-page chargesheet in rape-murder of IRS officer's daughter

The Delhi Police has filed a 973-page chargesheet before a city court against Rahul Meena, the former domestic help accused of raping and murdering the 22-year-old daughter of a senior Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer, officials said on Friday, 17 July.

The chargesheet was submitted on Thursday following the completion of the investigation by the Amar Colony police station in southeast Delhi. The matter is scheduled to come up for hearing on 18 July.

The victim, an IIT graduate preparing for the civil services examination, was found dead at her family's Kailash Hills residence in East of Kailash on the morning of 22 April. Her parents discovered the body after returning home from a gym session.

According to the police, Meena (23) had been dismissed from his job in February over alleged financial misconduct. Investigators alleged that he entered the house early on the day of the crime by using his knowledge of a spare key kept on the premises. He allegedly raped the woman before strangling her with a mobile phone charging cable after she resisted his demand for money.

Police alleged that Meena then stole between Rs 5 lakh and Rs 7 lakh in cash, changed into the victim's brother's clothes and fled the house.

The chargesheet states that fingerprints, palm prints and thumb impressions recovered from the crime scene matched those of the accused. DNA profiling also conclusively linked Meena to the biological evidence collected during the investigation.

"The investigation was supported by extensive scientific examinations carried out by experts from the Central Forensic Sciences Laboratory (CFSL) and the Forensic Sciences Laboratory (FSL). Exhibits collected from the crime scene and other locations were examined by the Physics, Chemistry and Biology divisions of the CFSL, and the forensic reports yielded positive results, corroborating the prosecution's case," a senior police officer said.

Police said forensic experts from the CFSL conducted a detailed examination of the crime scene.

"We recreated the crime scene at the instance of the accused in the presence of CFSL experts. Sequential photography and videography documenting his alleged entry, movements inside the house and exit were conducted, while the reconstruction footage was also examined for gait-pattern analysis," the officer said.

As part of the investigation, CFSL experts also carried out a behavioural analysis interview and layered voice analysis (LVA) of the accused. Investigators analysed footage from more than 100 CCTV cameras to trace Meena's movements before and after the crime. According to police, the footage showed him entering the residential complex at around 6.30 am and leaving at about 7.20 am.

He was arrested later the same day from a hotel in Dwarka. Police claimed the entire stolen amount was recovered at his instance.

Investigators also conducted extensive field enquiries, questioning neighbours, security guards, domestic workers, labourers, drivers, sweepers, auto-rickshaw and taxi drivers, as well as others present near the crime scene. "Simultaneously, police teams were sent to Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and different parts of Delhi to verify leads, collect evidence and establish the movements of the accused before and after the crime," the officer said.

During the investigation, police alleged that Meena had accumulated debts of between Rs 5 lakh and Rs 7 lakh through online gambling. "During interrogation, he told the teams that he had gone to the house intending to seek money and that the crime 'just happened'," the officer added.

Police said statements under Section 183 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita were recorded during the investigation, and the prosecution has cited 82 witnesses to establish the chain of circumstances.

With PTI inputs