IRS officer’s daughter’s murder: Digital trail leads to arrest of accused from Delhi’s Dwarka

Delhi Police arrested Rahul Meena for rape and murder of 22-year-old IRS officer’s daughter in Amar Colony. Investigation using stolen phone, hotel Wi-Fi, Instagram chats and CCTV tracked him to Dwarka hotel. Victim was strangled; accused also committed robbery case

New Delhi: The Delhi Police has arrested the accused in a case related to the murder and sexual assault of a 22-year-old daughter of an IRS officer in the Amar Colony area of the national capital, officials said on Thursday.

According to police sources, the case was solved using three crucial digital clues — a stolen mobile phone, hotel Wi-Fi usage, and Instagram chats — which helped investigators track the accused, identified as Rahul Meena, who had fled after allegedly committing the crime.

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Following the incident, multiple police teams were formed, and extensive CCTV footage from nearby areas was examined as part of the probe.

During the investigation, it emerged that the accused was not using his personal mobile phone. Instead, he had stolen a handset during an earlier incident of harassment in Alwar and used it strategically to avoid detection by law enforcement agencies.

Further leads revealed that he had checked into a hotel in Dwarka, where he accessed the internet through the establishment’s Wi-Fi network. Police officials said that during this period, Rahul remained in touch with a relative residing in Gurugram via Instagram. By analysing Internet Protocol Detail Records (IPDR) and employing digital surveillance techniques, the police were able to pinpoint his location. Additional inputs were gathered after questioning the relative.

According to investigators, Rahul Meena raped the IRS officer’s 22-year-old daughter before strangling her with a phone charger. He then changed his clothes and reportedly fled with around Rs 2.5 lakh stolen from the house. The incident occurred at the bureaucrat’s residence in southeast Delhi’s Kailash Hills locality on Wednesday morning.

The victim, a UPSC aspirant, was discovered by her family inside the house under suspicious circumstances, following which the police were informed.

Based on technical evidence and CCTV footage, the accused was tracked down and eventually arrested from a hotel in Dwarka, where he had been hiding. Investigators also found that the accused was familiar with the family’s routine, which he allegedly exploited to carry out the crime. Further investigation into the case is ongoing.

Police said Meena had been in Alwar before arriving in Delhi on Wednesday morning. He allegedly sold a mobile phone for Rs 10,000 and hired a car from Alwar to Delhi for Rs 6,000. After reaching the city, he fled without paying the driver and walked towards the IRS officer’s residence.

CCTV footage shows him entering the colony at around 6:30 a.m., and approximately nine minutes later, he entered the house. Nearly an hour later, at around 7:20 a.m., he was seen leaving the premises. Meena was eventually apprehended from a hotel in Dwarka. Police said he has been charged with rape, murder, and robbery.