A 22-year-old woman, daughter of a senior Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer, was allegedly raped and murdered at her residence in southeast Delhi's upscale Kailash Hills area on Wednesday morning, police said. The woman was found dead inside a room of her house by family members.
Former house help prime suspect
According to police sources, the accused in the murder of the IRS officer's daughter is a former domestic house help. The Police have identified a former domestic help, Rahul Meena (19), as the prime suspect. He had worked with the family for around eight months and was reportedly dismissed about a month ago over alleged financial irregularities.
The woman was allegedly sexually assaulted before being strangled to death using a mobile phone charger cable, sources said.
Accused was aware of the house
Police said the crime is believed to have taken place early in the morning when her parents had stepped out for their routine gym visit, leaving her home alone. The accused took advantage of this brief window to gain entry into the house and carry out the crime.
Preliminary findings suggest that the accused was aware of the victim's house routine and knew she was usually alone at home in the mornings. Police sources said he reached the locality early, found the main gate open, and proceeded to the IRS officer's floor, only to find that the door to the flat was locked from the inside.
According to police sources, the accused knew exactly where the house key was kept outside the flat whenever the family went out. Consequently, he retrieved the key from that specific spot, unlocked the door, and entered.
Raped, strangled to death with charging cable
According to sources, the accused entered the house around 6 am, attacked the woman, and sexually assaulted her. During this, she was allegedly hit with a stick, inflicting significant blunt force trauma on her face and head. He then allegedly strangled her using a mobile phone charging cable before fleeing the scene.
Investigators believe the accused remained inside the flat for nearly 40 minutes before escaping through a nearby ridge area. Allegations of sexual assault are being probed, with confirmation pending the post-mortem report.
A case has been registered, and forensic teams have collected evidence from the crime scene. Investigators are also scanning CCTV footage from nearby areas and questioning several people who may have had contact with the accused.
Police have launched a manhunt to apprehend the accused, and further investigation is underway to establish the sequence of events.
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