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‘They first killed my father and then my mother…’: Daughter of Delhi woman shot dead near Shalimar Bagh home
Police said the killers had been waiting for around an hour to strike, on a motorcycle which was later recovered.
The spot where Rachna Yadav was shot dead near her home in Delhi's Shalimar Bagh on Saturday morning. Sakshi Chand
Rachna Yadav, 44, was scheduled to recorded her statement as a witness in her husband’s murder case. But her battle to seek justice came to an abrupt end when she was shot dead near her home in Northwest Delhi’s Shalimar Bagh on Saturday morning.
On Sunday, relatives gathered for a hawan at the house where grief was palpable in the air. Upon entering the living room, one could spot a picture of her husband, Vijendra Yadav, on the right side and to the left a family photo — of Vijendra, Rachna and their daughters Kanika and Vrinda.
Kanika, with her toddler by her side, said she was worried about her and Vrinda’s safety.
Rachna was aware that the legal battle after Vijendra was shot dead in 2023 would be a long one, but was keen on pursuing it, according to the family. She was the prime witness in her husband’s murder case and was to depose before the court after she missed the first hearing in the first week of January.
Police said the killers had been waiting for around an hour to strike, on a motorcycle which was later recovered. It was stolen from the Netaji Subhash Place police station area in September last year. The accused, said officers, abandoned the bike near Rohini Heliport, suggesting that they were either living in Begumpur or they might have fled using public transport.
Prima facie, it seems they were young men, were new to such a task, officers said, adding that CCTV footage showed they were in the area since 8 am on the day of the incident.
“The brazen way in which they first murdered my father and then my mother sends a wrong message to society. It is a way of showing that no one can do anything to them. After my father’s murder the accused had once followed her and tried to attack her. An FIR was also registered in this regard. My mother did not take the security offered by the police as she believed in the justice system,” said Kanika. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she said her sister was alone at home when her mother was killed and they have been scared since.
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Tears rolled down her cheeks as she said her sister was alone at home when her mother was killed and they have been scared since.
Speaking about the police protection her mother refused to take, Kanika said, “My dad used to say: ‘Kisiki maut jab aayegi tab koi nahi rok payega (Death will arrive when it has to, nobody can stop it).’ We want the killers to be shot dead the same way they killed our parents. My father was shot dead and now my mother”.
On Saturday, Rachna was returning home after attending a neighbour’s funeral procession. She washed her hands near a water pot and started walking when she was shot dead at point blank range by a man, said officers. The accomplice was waiting on the motorcycle and the duo fled soon after, police said. Their images have been captured in a CCTV footage. Police said raids are being carried out to nab them. The incident took place close to CM Rekha Gupta’s residence and a police post.
Locals and shopkeepers said Rachna was a social worker who would always walk an extra mile for everyone. “Even relatives do not do as much as she would, for others — be it emotionally, financially or in any other way. She was extremely helpful,” a shopkeeper recalled.
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Police earlier said Vijendra Yadav – a history-sheeter from Jahangirpuri who was arrested for murder and other crimes – was gunned down on May 22, 2023, while attending a community langar near his office.
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