Woman shot dead, killer was hired by her brother

A 37-year-old woman was allegedly shot dead by a juvenile contract killer in west Delhi’s Najafgarh on Tuesday morning. Police said the killer was hired by the woman’s brother who feared she would seek a share in the family property and hence wanted her eliminated.

The accused 17-year-old killer was nabbed after the woman’s son described to police his appearance.

The 15-year-old boy was a witness to his mother’s murder and had even tried to restrain the assailant from escaping. 

The assailant, however, managed to escape after injuring him.The victim Madhu Saini’s brother Pradeep is yet to be nabbed.

He currently lives outside the bounds of the city as an externment order had been passed against him for indulging in anti-social activities. Police said he would be arrested soon.

Madhu had separated from her husband Shivcharan nine years ago and had been living at her parents’ home in Najafgarh with her two sons Akash, 15, and 12-year-old Aman. 

While Pradeep stayed elsewhere, her another brother Lalit lived in the same house. The murder took place at around 8.45 am on Tuesday. Madhu and Akash were at home at that time while Aman was elsewhere. The assailant walked straight to Madhu’s room and shot her through her eye from a close range. He then tried to escape but was caught by Akash. But he managed to hit Akash and flee. The victim was rushed to Rao Tula Ram Hospital where she was declared brought dead. 

Police registered a case based on Akash’s description of the incident and then sought his help to identify the killer. He was nabbed from Najafgarh area itself within hours of the murder.He spilled the beans on Pradeep and revealed that he had been paid an advance sum for carrying out the murder. It turned out Pradeep was against Madhu staying at their parents’ home in Najafgarh.He feared she would seek a share of their ancestral property if she stayed with them for too long.

The two siblings fought often over this issue.The killer, meanwhile, was alleged to have been involved in another robbery in the region last year. He was apparently apprehended in the case and kept at a correction home for boys before being released.