New Delhi: Delhi Police has solved the high-profile murder of 52-year-old RWA president Rachna Yadav, arresting the prime accused Bharat Yadav and another suspect, Nikhil, after a 1,000-km chase across six states. Investigators said Bharat — also a suspect in the 2023 murder of Rachna’s husband — allegedly orchestrated the killing as she was about to testify in court, which could have strengthened the case against him and others.
Rachna was shot dead outside her Shalimar Bagh home while returning from a neighbour’s funeral. The assailants, who had been waiting for more than three hours, opened fire at point-blank range, killing her on the spot.
Police said the shooters were coordinating with Bharat through the Zangi messaging app. Nikhil was riding pillion on the motorcycle used in the हत्या. In total, five to six suspects have been detained so far, including two men accused of sheltering the shooters. Their roles are being verified, and at least four are likely to be formally arrested. Raids were continuing in Bihar and Panipat late on Monday.
Special CP (Law and Order) Ravindra Yadav declined to comment on arrests, saying only that police had “definite leads” and were close to solving the case. However, sources confirmed that Police Commissioner Satish Golcha had been briefed on the breakthrough.
The arrests came after a 12-day-long investigation involving more than 200 officers. Seventeen teams, formed under Additional Commissioner Bhisham Singh, conducted coordinated raids across Delhi, Bihar, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.
Investigators noted that at least one of the shooters appeared to speak in a Haryanvi dialect. Acting on this clue, police raided a hideout in Panipat and first detained a property dealer, Khatri, and his brother. After the murder, the two shooters fled on a motorcycle and later split up in Rohini to avoid detection. The abandoned bike, later recovered by police, turned out to be stolen — providing the first major lead.
CCTV footage played a crucial role in the probe. Since the suspects were captured by multiple cameras, police used artificial intelligence tools to enhance and reconstruct facial images from different angles. Investigators also examined jail visitor records to identify people who had met those accused in the murder of Rachna’s husband, Bijender Yadav. Over 100 people, including several property dealers, were questioned.
Bijender Yadav, a property dealer with at least nine criminal cases — including murder and illegal arms possession — was shot dead in a similar fashion outside a bakery in Bhalswa village in May 2023. While some accused were arrested and jailed after his murder, Bharat Yadav had remained absconding.
The case has once again raised concerns about the effectiveness of witness protection in Delhi. Rachna’s family said they had been receiving threats since Bijender’s murder, with unidentified men even firing shots in the Bhalswa area to intimidate them. According to her daughter, Rachna had been followed and threatened while travelling to court, prompting her to switch to virtual hearings. Despite this, she was not provided security, as police reportedly did not pursue the matter further after she initially expressed reluctance.
