New Delhi: Delhi Police’s crime and forensic teams on Friday conducted a re-enactment of the rape and murder scene of a 22-year-old woman in south Delhi’s Kailash Hills, with investigators saying the focus is now on the family of the accused, 23-year-old Rahul Meena, whose father is scheduled to be questioned in Alwar and uncle in Gurugram.
Family members will be questioned about Mina’s alleged phone addiction and gambling habits that left him nearly $1,000 in debt. $His decision to travel to Delhi and his movements after fleeing the crime scene, the investigators said, requesting anonymity, adding that they would also conduct psychoanalytic testing on the accused.
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In another major development, investigators recovered the victim’s mobile phone, which the defendant had stolen at the time of the assault. Police said Meena left the phone near a park in Garhi village, east of Kailash.
According to police, the victim, the daughter of a government employee, was alone in her home on Wednesday morning when Mina entered her home using a spare key card. Police said he gained access to the floor where she was studying, assaulted her after she refused to give him money, and later raped her. The woman died during the assault and was later found by her parents. Meena was arrested on the same day from a Dwarka hotel.
HT spoke to the hotel manager, who said: “I remember him. He came to book a room. He told me he was from Alwar and had come to Delhi for some work. He was very calm and nice. He did not seem to have committed such a horrific crime. He even apologized for not having an ID on him and gave me his Aadhaar ID number. He paid $1500 in cash and went to his room. Around 4pm, a police team came and started interrogating. I was afraid. I later found out that he killed and raped an innocent girl. I had no idea.
Police said Meena hired a taxi to Dwarka after killing the woman. Before he left, he threw her cell phone. He was holding another phone, which he turned off shortly after.
“At the hotel, he ordered a T-shirt online and some food. He will soon be taken to recreate the crime scene and map his escape route. On Friday morning, a team led by Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) went to reconstruct the crime scene to ascertain how he managed to enter without being spotted on multiple cameras and attack the victim. We have also taken him to test the effectiveness, which is part of the legal proceedings,” a senior police officer said.
Police said Meena told the hotel staff that his name was Rahul Kumar.
Based on his interrogation, the investigation team also plans to take the accused for psychoanalytic testing.
“Sometimes he shows no remorse for what he did. He was very calm and acted indifferent when he told us he wanted to pay off his debts and attacked the woman because she refused to listen to him,” the officer added. “The test will analyze his behavior patterns and his mental health condition,” the officer added.
Mina also changed his pants and shoes – and took the victim’s brother’s clothes – after the assault. Police said on Friday that they found Mina’s blood-stained clothes, as well as the victim’s brother’s pants, shoes and a bag.
Investigators said they would also question the accused’s family members.
Rajasthan Police confirmed that Meena’s father and five other members were detained for questioning. After being taken into custody by Rajasthan Police, they will be in the custody of Delhi Police for interrogation. On Thursday, Meena was sent to police custody for four days.
