Shalimar Bagh murder: Police suspect case of ‘contract killing’; AAP hits out at govt

Police said several teams had been formed to probe the case, and CCTV cameras installed in nearby areas were being scanned.

A day after 44-year-old Rachna Yadav, an Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) worker and a member of a residents’ welfare association in Shalimar Bagh, was shot dead, police have found the motorcycle used by the two unidentified attackers near Helipad Road in Rohini, police said.

(Getty Images/iStockphoto)

According to police, the motorcycle had been stolen from the territorial jurisdiction of Netaji Subhash Place police station in September last year. Since the spot where the motorcycle was abandoned is close to the Urban Extension Road-II connecting Haryana with Delhi, officers said, it is suspected that the killers may have fled to the adjoining state.

Investigators said that it was revealed that the suspects confirmed Yadav’s identity by asking the woman her name before shooting her dead, raising suspicions that the assailants could be “contract killers” hired by the prime conspirator, an officer requesting anonymity said.

Police said several teams had been formed to probe the case, and CCTV cameras installed in nearby areas were being scanned.

“Although the exact motive behind Yadav’s murder will be established only after we arrest and interrogate the killers, our probe is currently focused on an old rivalry connected to her husband’s murder case of 2023. The other angles are also being looked into,” said deputy commissioner of police (northwest) Bhisham Singh.

Police said the murder took place when Yadav stepped out of her house around 11am. She had walked only a few steps when she was intercepted by attackers who were reportedly waiting for her close to the house.

Eyewitnesses from the neighbourhood told police that a brief scuffle broke out between Yadav and the assailants, following which one of them pulled out a pistol and shot her at close range before fleeing the spot. She was rushed to a nearby hospital, where doctors declared her dead on arrival.

Yadav’s murder took a political turn on Sunday, with AAP national convener and former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal criticising the government over the incident.

“The situation in Delhi has deteriorated to such an extent that no one is safe anymore. This incident in the chief minister’s own assembly constituency is proof of the BJP government’s failure and the complete breakdown of law and order. This event is highly condemnable and unacceptable. I extend my deepest condolences to the family of AAP’s hard worker Rachna Yadav ji,” Kejriwal posted in Hindi on X.

Police said Yadav’s murder may be linked to a long-standing enmity stemming from the murder of Yadav’s husband, Vijender Yadav, who was shot dead in Bhalswa village in 2023. In that case, four accused were arrested, while two suspects are still absconding. The absconders included the prime suspect, with whom Vijender allegedly had a property dispute.

The woman was a key witness in her husband’s murder case. Her family has alleged that the absconding accused had earlier attempted to attack her and were behind Saturday’s murder.