A 44-year-old woman was shot dead in northwest Delhi’s Shalimar Bagh, with the police suspecting the killing to be linked to the murder of her husband in 2023.
According to police, the prime accused in the 2023
murder case is still on the run while other accused are in Tihar jail.
The woman was identified as Rachna Yadav, a resident of Shalimar Bagh. Police said she suffered a gunshot injury to her head and died on the spot. Her family, however, claimed that she was killed because she was a key witness in her husband’s murder case that is under trial.
The police said they received a PCR call at 10.59 am at Shalimar Bagh, reporting that a woman had been shot. Local teams rushed to the spot and found Rachna Yadav’s body on the road. They also recovered an empty cartridge from the scene.
Additional commissioner of police (northwest) Bhisham Singh said preliminary inquiry shows that she was returning from a neighbour’s house when unidentified assailants fired at her from close range.
“She was shot in the head and died on the spot. Crime team and FSL teams were called, and the scene of crime was thoroughly examined,” Singh said, adding that multiple teams have been formed to identify and trace the assailants.
WHAT HAPPENED IN 2023, WHAT DID FAMILY SAY?
Singh said Rachna was originally from Bhalswa village and that her husband, Vijendra Yadav, was murdered in 2023.
He said the case was registered at Jahangirpuri police station. “Prima facie, it appears that the present case is linked to the earlier murder. We are ascertaining details of that case as well,” he said.
Kanika Yadav, Rachna’s elder daughter, alleged that the murder was orchestrated by Bharat Yadav, the main accused in Vijendra’s killing, who is still on the run.
“Some of the accused in my father’s murder case are lodged in Tihar Jail. Despite that, they are planning such crimes. Bharat Yadav planned and executed my mother’s murder,” Kanika alleged.
She alleged that her mother was targeted as she was a key witness in her father’s murder case.
“They were afraid that they would be convicted on the basis of her statement. That is why my mother was killed. My father was murdered in 2023 and the case is still pending before the court,” she said.
The police said Rachna is survived by two daughters, one of whom is married, while the younger daughter lived with her. Further investigation is underway, and legal action is being taken, they added.
(With PTI inputs)
