Fourth man arrested in Rachna Yadav contract killing case

The accused, identified only as Sunny, 26, a resident of Bal Jattan village in Panipat, “actively participated” in the conspiracy by accompanying the hitman during reconnaissance on January 1 and later transporting another suspect from Rohini to Panipat after Yadav was shot dead

Police on Wednesday arrested another man in connection with the contract killing of 44-year-old Rachna Yadav, an Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) worker and residents’ welfare association member in Shalimar Bagh.

A CCTV grab of the two men fleeing after allegedly shooting dead the Aam Aadmi Party leader Rachna Yadav on January 10 in Shalimar Bagh. (HT Photo)

The accused, identified only as Sunny, 26, a resident of Bal Jattan village in Panipat, “actively participated” in the conspiracy by accompanying the hitman during reconnaissance on January 1 and later transporting another suspect from Rohini to Panipat after Yadav was shot dead near her home on January 10, police said.

Sunny worked at the Panipat Refinery Complex along with Sumit Kumar, 23, who was arrested on Monday for allegedly accompanying the hitman, Nikhil Chawla, on a stolen motorcycle during the killing. Sunny is the fourth person arrested in the case, additional commissioner of police (northwest) Bhisham Singh said.

The prime conspirator, Bharat Yadav, 33, and the contract killer, Nikhil Chawla, 22, were arrested on Monday from a forested area in Bihar’s Katihar, where they had been hiding. Their interrogation led to Kumar’s arrest in Panipat, police said.

According to Singh, Sunny was assigned by Bharat to accompany Chawla to Rachna’s neighbourhood for reconnaissance and to assist in the execution. “As per the plan, Sunny was to drive the motorcycle, take Chawla to the spot and return with him after the crime,” he said.

“Sunny was with Chawla during the first round of reconnaissance on January 1. He later backed out as his wife fell ill. However, he did not withdraw from the conspiracy. He ferried Kumar from Urban Extension Road-2 in Rohini to Panipat on a motorcycle after Kumar parked the bike used in the crime. His role has been confirmed through CCTV footage and other electronic evidence,” Singh added.

Rachna was shot dead around 11 am on January 10 while returning home after attending a neighbour’s funeral. The shooter fled with his associate on a motorcycle. Though CCTV cameras captured the attacker’s face, the case initially remained blind.

Investigators used artificial intelligence tools to generate facial images of the suspect and matched them through the National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID), which produced an over 87% match with a Panipat resident identified as Chawla. GPS data from Chawla’s phone confirmed his presence at the crime scene and later in Katihar, where Bharat was also located.

Police said Bharat had hired Chawla through an old friend, Naveen, since Chawla had no criminal record. Bharat himself stayed in Bihar.

“There was no direct link between Bharat and Chawla. Bharat had seen Chawla at Naveen’s farm during a visit in 2024, while he was absconding in the murder case of Rachna’s husband, Bijender Yadav, who was shot dead in May 2023 over a property dispute. Hiring Chawla was a strategy to prevent the police from linking him to Rachna’s murder,” an investigator said, adding that Naveen’s role is being probed.