Delhi court sends man accused of killing IRS officer's daughter to 4-day police custody

New Delhi: "Mujhse apradh ho gaya.... Galti ho gayi," (I committed a crime, a mistake), said Rahul Meena, the 19-year-old domestic help accused of killing a senior IRS officer's daughter at her upscale southeast Delhi residence, as a court sent him to four days of police custody on Thursday.

Judicial Magistrate Deepika Thakaran allowed the Delhi Police's plea seeking four days of custodial interrogation of the accused.

The accused, whose face was covered with a cloth, was produced in the jam-packed courtroom around 2:30 pm.

The magistrate asked Meena about the injuries shown in the medico-legal report (MLC), to which the accused said he got hurt while getting down from the terrace.

On being further quizzed by the court, the accused said he had committed a mistake and a crime.
"Mujhse apradh ho gaya.... Galti ho gayi," he said.

When the court asked the accused about the reason for committing the offence, Meena said the deceased's fingerprints were needed to open a locker.

Investigators believe Meena allegedly raped the victim, the daughter of a senior Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer, while she was unconscious and later, dragged her downstairs. He then attempted to open a locker using her fingerprint, before breaking it open with a screwdriver and stealing cash and jewellery.

The court, however, clarified that this would not be treated as a formal confession.

The Delhi Police had moved a remand application seeking four days of custodial interrogation of the accused to probe the "heinous crime".

The prosecution said it needs to find the victim's mobile phone, reconstruct the accused's entry and exit route, and ascertain whether anyone else was involved in the crime.

It said, "We are also investigating a similar case against him in Alwar."

The 22-year-old IIT graduate was allegedly raped and killed at her Kailash Hills residence by Meena, their former house help, on Wednesday morning, hours after the accused and his associates allegedly sexually assaulted another woman in Rajasthan's Alwar.