This Week in Explainers: The gruesome rape and murder of IRS officer’s daughter in Delhi

It was a grim week for India. The alleged rape and murder of a 22-year-old woman by a former domestic worker in a posh colony in Delhi sent shockwaves across the country.

On April 22, India remembered the 26 victims of the Pahalgam terror attack, a year after they were brutally killed by terrorists in Kashmir’s picturesque Baisaran meadow. Since the massacre, New Delhi has revised its counter-terror playbook.

For Apple, it is the end of an era. Tim Cook is stepping down as the tech giant’s chief executive officer (CEO) and will be replaced by John Ternus. Under Cook’s leadership, the iPhone maker saw significant growth in India.

All this and much more in our weekly wrap of stories from India.

More from Explainers

1. A 23-year-old former domestic help has been accused of raping and murdering an IIT graduate, a UPSC aspirant and the daughter of a senior Indian Revenue Service (IRS) official, at her family’s residence in southeast Delhi’s Kailash Hills. The accused, identified as Rahul Meena, is currently in police custody.

This was not the only crime he allegedly committed this week. Police say just hours before the Delhi ‘rape’ and murder, he was suspected of having raped another woman in Rajasthan’s Alwar. The two cases have rocked the country, once again bringing women’s safety to the spotlight. Read our detailed report on the accused and his probable motive for the “rape” and murder of the IRS officer’s daughter.

2. It has been a year since the Pahalgam terror attack. On April 22, 2025, three terrorists gunned down 26 civilians, mostly tourists, in the Baisaran meadow in south Kashmir’s Pahalgam. A Lashkar-affiliated outfit took responsibility for one of the worst terror attacks on Indian soil.

Days after the Pahalgam massacre, India launched Operation Sindoor, targeting nine terror bases in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). The swiftness of retaliation signalled that New Delhi has changed its counter-terror playbook. India is no longer adopting strategic restraint in the face of terror attacks but a more assertive national security doctrine. Read more here.

3. Apple’s India success with Tim Cook at the helm is noteworthy. It all started with his visit to the South Asian country in 2016, the first-ever by the company’s CEO.

Today, the iPhone maker is manufacturing the high-end devices in India. It has expanded its retail footprint in the country. Apple is also preparing to launch Apple Pay, its contactless payment service, in India this year. As Cook steps down as Apple’s boss, what does the leadership change entail for India? We take a look here.

4. South Korean President Lee Jae Myung was in India this week, the first such visit by a Korean leader in eight years. From Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaking of K-pop’s popularity in India to business discussions, the three-day state visit was a reboot in ties between the two countries.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, his wife Kim Hye Kyung, President Droupadi Murmu and PM Narendra Modi pose for a photograph during Lee’s ceremonial reception at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi, April 20, 2026. PIB via Reuters

As Lee’s visit concluded, maritime emerged as a major sector of cooperation between India and South Korea. Firstpost spoke to a policy expert to decode the significance of the South Korean president’s trip to India. Read here.

5. India and the United States resumed trade talks this week. A trade delegation ‌led by Additional Secretary in the Commerce Department, Darpan Jain, travelled to Washington for a three-day visit.

The trip came in the aftermath of the US Supreme Court striking down Donald Trump’s tariffs imposed under the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act, following which the US president slapped a flat 10 per cent tariff on all countries for 150 days. India and the US had unveiled an interim trade deal in February. But are the two sides closer to a trade pact? We explain.

6. A ‘super El Niño’ that could suppress the monsoon in India and push up temperatures is expected to emerge this year. US officials believe there is an increasing probability of the climate phenomenon developing this summer.

Experts predict the event is likely to send global temperatures up and cause more extreme weather events this year. For India, El Niño could mean more heatwaves and unreliable precipitation. This comes as the South Asian country is already being scorched as temperatures surge above 40 degrees Celsius. Humid heat is also making the situation worse in India’s coastal areas. But what is a ‘super El Niño’? Read our report to know more.

This is all we have for you this week. If you enjoy reading our analyses, you can bookmark this page.