In a chilling murder, a 44-year-old woman was shot dead in Delhi's Shalimar Bagh area on Saturday. The victim, identified as Rachna Yadav, was shot in the head at point-blank range and died on the spot, news agency PTI reported citing police.

According to police, Rachna's murder might be linked to the killing of her husband in 2023, who was also shot dead.

Vijendra Yadav's murder is still under trial, and Rachna was the main witness in the case.

Rachna was the president of her locality's resident welfare association (RWA). She originally hailed from Delhi's Bhalswa village.

Link to her husband' murder in 2023

In the 2023 case, Vijendra Yadav was allegedly murdered due to previous enmity. "Bharat Yadav and five others were named as accused. While five of the accused were arrested and are facing trial, the main accused, Bharat Yadav, is still absconding and has been declared a proclaimed offender," a senior police officer told news agency PTI.

According to investigators, Rachna's murder might have been committed to weaken her husband's murder case and intimidate other witnesses, particularly since her testimony was crucial for the prosecution, the report said.

Additional Commissioner of Police (Northwest) Bhisham Singh said, "We are re-examining all aspects of the 2023 case and the role of the proclaimed offender (Bharat)."

He also said that several teams have been formed to trace and nab the accused.

Shot dead on the road after asking name

Initial probe has revealed that the victim was shot dead while she was returning after meeting a neighbour.

On the way, she was approached by two men, one of whom asked for her name, following which the attacker fired at her and fled the spot with his accomplice, said police.

The police received a call about the incident at 10.59 am at Shalimar Bagh police station and reached the spot, where they found the woman lying in a pool of blood on the road. The police recovered an empty cartridge from the crime scene.

What victim's daughter said

The victim's eldest daughter, Kanika Yadav, alleged that the murder was committed by Bharat Yadav, the main accused in her father's murder case, because she was a prime witness in the case.

"Some of the accused in my father's murder case are lodged in Tihar Jail. Despite that, they are planning such crimes. Bharat Yadav planned and executed my mother's murder," PTI quoted Kanika as saying.

"They were afraid that they would be convicted on the basis of her statement. That is why my mother was killed. My father was murdered in 2023, and the case is still pending before the court," she added.