IRS officer’s daughter murder: Accused showed aggressive behaviour
Investigations into the murder of an IRS officer’s daughter in Delhi reveal the accused had a history of aggressive behaviour and addiction to online gaming. Police are planning psychological analysis to understand his motives and mental condition
New Delhi: As crime and forensic teams prepare to conduct scene recreation in the murder of an IRS officer’s daughter in southeast Delhi, investigations have revealed that the accused, Rahul Meena, was infamous for aggressive behaviour in his native village, police sources said.
“The teams may visit the crime scene today to recreate what unfolded where the CCTV footage was not available. They may take the accused with them,” a source said, adding that Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southeast) Hemant Tiwari had reached the spot.
“During inquiry, we got to know that Meena and his father were known for their aggressive behaviour in their village. Our team is there. They came to know that his father is an alcoholic and Rahul is addicted to online games. The behaviour of both in the village is aggressive in nature,” said a police source.
Meanwhile, sources said police will conduct a psychological analysis of the accused to evaluate his mental state and behavioural patterns and to ascertain the motives behind the crime.
On Meena’s state of mind, sources said he has exhibited psychopathic tendencies and has had a history of violent conduct, raising serious concerns about his behavioural patterns.
“Teams are now planning a detailed psychological assessment of the accused,” said a source.
He said Meena was addicted to online betting and card games such as “teen patti” and had lost over Rs 7 lakh in the last few months, which drove him to frequently borrow money to sustain the habit.
He was fired from the victim’s house, where he was employed as a domestic help, over financial misconduct. However, Meena returned to his native village and told his parents that he had left the job, the police source said.
“He never told his parents that he was sacked. He told them that he had left the work and was searching for something new,” said the source.
A senior police officer who interrogated Meena told PTI that he is remorseless and told investigators that “it just happened” in a fit of rage.
He told the police, “agar didi paise de deti to aisa nahi hota” (if sister had given the money, this would not have happened), the officer said.
“Chori karne ka afsos nahi par marna nahi chaiye tha, ho gaya” (I don’t regret committing the theft, but I should not have killed her. It just happened), Meena told interrogators, according to the officer.
Sources confirmed that the accused displayed a strangely calm demeanour after his arrest, showing no visible remorse.
“During questioning, he was quite casual. He acted as if everything was normal. Usually, when a person commits a heinous murder, they would display some anxiety, anger, restlessness or remorse. Surprisingly, Meena is very casual,” said a source.
He said Meena does not react much, but only repeats that he wanted money to clear his debts.
“We asked him if he regrets what he has done. The accused replied that the family was like gods to him, but he wanted the money,” the source said.
“The accused has displayed unusual calmness and lack of remorse during sustained interrogation, raising concerns among investigators about his psychological condition,” the source said.
The psychological analysis may involve clinical evaluation by experts to assess aggression levels, emotional responses and personality traits, including indicators linked to disorders such as anti-social personality disorder, sources said.
Investigators are also probing whether the crime was premeditated or committed on impulse. Meena’s psychological profiling would play a key role in understanding his mindset and also recreating the sequence of events, they said.
Meanwhile, Meena’s family members claimed that he was a quiet person with “good behaviour” and that he was good at studies. They denied the rape allegation and claimed that he did not have bad habits except for the online gaming addiction.
Speaking to reporters in Alwar, Meena’s mother, a homemaker, said that her son was well-behaved and that she last spoke to him on the night of April 21 before he left to attend a wedding.
“After that, we could not contact him. The next day, police came and informed us about the incident,” she said, adding that the family was unaware of his whereabouts thereafter.
One of his uncles said Meena was “good in studies” and had secured good marks in graduation.
Meena’s sister denied the rape allegation reported from Rajgarh in Alwar, calling it “completely false.” She said debts incurred from online gaming may have been the reason for the Rajgarh woman levelling a rape allegation against her brother and also the reason behind Meena’s visit to the IRS officer’s residence in Delhi.
She alleged that Meena and the Rajgarh rape victim’s husband had incurred losses — Rs 5 lakh and Rs 90,000, respectively — while playing an online game, leading to huge debts and the pressure to repay them.
“He had gone (to Delhi) to recover the money as he was being pressured,” Meena’s sister said, adding that he had even pawned his mobile phone for Rs 20,000.
“If my brother has done anything wrong, he should be punished,” she added.
Some villagers also said Meena was a quiet person and had completed his BA in 2023, but had developed an online gambling habit soon after.
The case pertains to the murder of a 22-year-old woman, daughter of a senior Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer, an engineering graduate and UPSC aspirant, at her residence in southeast Delhi’s Kailash Hills locality.
Investigators said Meena used his familiarity with the house layout and access points to enter the flat.
Police had said that he allegedly went to the rooftop study room where the victim was studying and attacked her with a heavy object, raped her and dragged her downstairs to use her fingers for the biometric locker to steal cash from the house.
The autopsy confirmed strangulation as the cause of death, along with multiple injuries, including a nasal bone fracture, indicating a struggle.
“He fled after changing clothes and slippers, and reached Palam Railway Station to catch a train to Rewari in Haryana. When he failed to catch the train, he booked a hotel in Dwarka, from where he was arrested. More than Rs 1 lakh in cash and stolen jewellery were recovered from his possession,” a police officer said.
Police have also linked Meena to a rape case reported from Rajasthan’s Alwar hours before the Delhi incident.
