Woman who is key witness to husband’s murder assassinated in Delhi

A prominent housing society leader in Delhi, Rachna Yadav, who was a crucial witness in the murder trial of her late husband, has been shot dead in what police believe may be a retaliatory killing.

The 44-year-old was fatally attacked at close range on Saturday morning in the Shalimar Bagh area of northwest Delhi.

CCTV footage from the vicinity reportedly shows the assailant fleeing the scene on a motorcycle shortly after the shooting.

Rachna, a resident of Shalimar Bagh and president of her community’s Resident Welfare Association, RWA, was originally from Bhalswa village.

Local media reports said she was shot in the head and died instantly at the scene.

According to the police, a distress call was received at about 10:59 a.m. at the Shalimar Bagh Police Station, alerting officers that a woman had been shot.

Responding officers arrived at the location to find Rachna lying on the road in a pool of blood.

An empty cartridge was recovered from the scene, and forensic teams were immediately deployed as part of the investigation.

During preliminary inquiries, investigators established that Rachna’s husband, Vijendra Yadav, was murdered in 2023.

She had since been serving as a key prosecution witness in the ongoing trial related to his killing.

Police sources said they are probing the possibility that her assassination is linked to the earlier murder case, adding that all angles, including targeted retaliation, are being thoroughly examined.

The police have launched a manhunt for the suspects captured in the CCTV footage, while investigations continue to uncover the motive behind the killing.