‘An addict and a liar’: Former house help accused of sexually assaulting, killing IRS officer’s daughter

A neighbour said Meena used to live in the servant’s quarters, located in the parking lot of the building.

Months after starting working at the house, Meena allegedly started exploiting the trust the family had on him, police said. “He used to go to shops, buy things for the household, and put it on the family’s tab… He would ask the shopkeepers to take money from the family at the end of the month and keep the money for himself,” the officer said.

A local chemist told The Indian Express, “He used to buy medicines worth Rs 400-500 in one go, and ask me to take the money from his employer. The boy looked decent, was soft spoken, so I would often trust him… But the father later strictly told me not to give medicines to Rahul without taking money.”

Police said the family received multiple complaints about Meena buying products from shops and not paying up. Eventually, he was let go two months ago after neighbours complained he had allegedly taken a Rs 1.5 lakh-loan from them.

“House helps come and go, and are often fired for transgressing. He was just asked to politely leave,” said a family member. But Rahul took it personally, police said.

“Initial investigation shows he is into betting apps, and also addicted to drugs,” said an officer.

After allegedly murdering the victim, Meena, police said, was captured on CCTV cameras wearing fresh clothes and carrying a backpack while leaving the house around 7.30 am.

While he was seen wearing black trousers before entering the house, while leaving, he was seen in white trousers. Also, he had no backpack with him when he had entered the house, the CCTV footage showed.

An officer said that Meena’s father is a farmer and a part-time labourer in Rajgarh. “Meena has four siblings, including a sister,” the officer added.