Multiple injuries to the arms, hands, legs and face, including a broken nose, and severe damage to her neck, including a fractured thyroid cartilage, were found on the body of the 22-year-old girl who was brutally raped and murdered in her apartment in Delhi’s Kailash Hills, according to an AIIMS autopsy report.
The victim was taken to Fortis Escorts Hospital, where she was declared brought dead, news agency PTI quoted Dr Sudhir Gupta, head of the forensic department at AIIMS-Delhi, as saying.
The report also revealed abrasions and bruises on the victims’ arms, indicating that they attempted to fight off the attacker. “The report revealed abrasions and bruises on the victims’ arms, indicating that she tried to fight off the attacker,” Gupta said.
He added that muscle bleeding was discovered in the sternocleidomastoid, sternothyroid and sternohyoid muscles during the neck dissection. A fracture of the horns of the thyroid cartilage was noted, while the hyoid bone remained intact. All internal organs were found congested, consistent with death by asphyxia due to strangulation, according to PTI.
Several samples of viscera, ligamentous material with tape raised, nail scrapings, blood in gauze, and swabs from private parts were preserved for forensic examination.
He added, “The results show death due to strangulation after the assault. The swabs and preserved fingernail scrapings were sent for further analysis to confirm whether rape had occurred.”
The smart key that led to the crime
The victim, an Indian Institute of Technology graduate who was preparing for the UPSC exam, was brutally raped and murdered by a 23-year-old former domestic help who wanted to avenge his dismissal from service two months ago.
When the victim’s parents entered the houseThe IRS officer and the dentist were not at home and left for the gym. The duo used to keep a spare key outside the house to help enter the house, to ensure their daughter gets a peaceful sleep.
Taking advantage of this information, the accused Rahul Meena entered the fourth floor apartment at 6:39 am. CCTV footage later showed him in the area around 6:30am and leaving around 7:15am. He spent approximately 40 minutes inside.
Also read: Choked, raped and dragged: Horrific final moments of Delhi government employee’s daughter murdered by former domestic help
She was strangled with a cable and raped while unconscious
The victim was in her room studying when Mina found her and demanded money. A police officer said that when Mina refused and tried to contact her father, she “squeezed her throat, then used a charger cord to strangle her, then attacked her with a water bottle and a lamp on her head.”
She subsequently lost consciousness and was raped by Mina while she was alive but out of the cold. He then dragged her body down the stairs in an attempt to reach a fingerprint-protected safe inside the house.
When he was unable to open the safe — which he knew could only be opened using family members’ fingerprints — he allegedly tried to repeatedly press the victim’s fingers on the scanner to open it. When that failed, he broke the safe using a heavy object.
He fled the scene for approx $2 lakh in cash and $Jewelry worth 10 million stuffed into a black backpack. Before leaving at 7:15 a.m., he changed his blood-stained clothes and shoes.
Read also: Two rapes, one murder in 24 hours and a hidden key: shocking details in a high-profile crime in Delhi
Accused arrested for saying ‘he did it for the money’
The accused was arrested from a hotel in Dwarka at around 8 pm on Wednesday. When he appeared before the Saket court, he told the judge that he committed the crime for money and needed the victim’s fingerprint to open the safe.
He said: “Jalti hojay. Main pais ki liye kya. Fingerprint chahya tha loker kulne ki liye.”
Hours earlier, before committing this heinous crime, Meena had reportedly raped another woman in Alwar, Rajasthan. He then hid in a hill called Kali Pahari for more than two hours to avoid angry villagers.
