‘Plan to kill Rachna Yadav hatched last year’

Chawla was paid ₹50,000 as advance and conducted detailed reconnaissance of the victim on January 9, a day before he allegedly shot her in the head at close range near her residence on January 10.

The Delhi Police on Tuesday said they have arrested three men in connection with the contract killing of 44-year-old Rachna Yadav, an Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) worker and residents’ welfare association (RWA) member in Shalimar Bagh, revealing that the conspiracy was hatched in Bihar in November last year by prime suspect Bharat Yadav.

The accused in police custody. (HT)

Police said Bharat roped in 22-year-old Nikhil Chawla for ₹5 lakh to execute the killing. Chawla was paid ₹50,000 as advance and conducted detailed reconnaissance of the victim on January 9, a day before he allegedly shot her in the head at close range near her residence on January 10.

Bharat and Chawla were arrested on Monday from a wooded area in Bihar’s Katihar district, where they had been hiding after the murder. Their interrogation led to the arrest of Chawla’s accomplice, Sumit Kumar, 23, from Baljattan village in Haryana’s Panipat district.

While Bharat planned the murder in November, police said the firearm and the stolen motorcycle used in the crime were arranged in December through his contacts in Delhi and Haryana. Kumar, a friend of Chawla, was unaware of the contract killing plan until after it was carried out. Chawla had told him they were in Shalimar Bagh to collect money from a person and offered him ₹5,000 to ride the motorcycle.

Explaining the motive, special commissioner of police (law and order) Ravindra Yadav said Bharat was named for killing Rachna’s husband, Bijender Yadav, in 2023 over a land dispute in Bhalswa village. Rachna was a crucial prosecution witness in that case. Bharat was absconding and had been declared a proclaimed offender, with a ₹20,000 reward on his arrest. His brother Sanju Yadav and two other accused were already in jail.

“Rachna Yadav was actively pursuing her husband’s murder case and closely following the trial. Bharat feared her testimony would lead to his conviction. He therefore conspired to kill her to weaken the case,” the special CP said.

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

A senior police officer said 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 person from Panipat, who was identified as Chawla. GPS data from Chawla’s mobile phone confirmed his presence at the crime scene and later in Katihar, where Bharat was also located.

Since Chawla had no criminal record, Bharat allegedly hired him through an old friend, Naveen from Panipat, to execute the killing while he himself stayed in Bihar.

“Bharat planned everything to avoid detection. Four more people are being questioned to establish their role,” said additional commissioner of police Singh.

Former Delhi chief minister Atishi on Tuesday visited Rachna Yadav’s residence, assured the family of support and alleged that law and order in the capital had deteriorated under the BJP government.