Husband held for Rajni's killing

By Prashant Pandey

NEW DELHI, AUG. 19. The sensational Vasant Vihar murder case where a 26-year-old newly married woman, Rajni, was shot dead in a Honda City car has been solved by the South-West Delhi police with the arrest of her husband, Vijay, and one of his accomplices. Another accused is absconding.

On August 13, Vijay had started for home from his in-laws' house at Wazirpur along with Rajni around 10-30 p.m. Vijay had then told the police that he had given ``lift'' to a stranger on the way who had shot dead his wife. Subsequently, two more men got inside his vehicle, took him hostage and shot him in the leg.

The Deputy Commissioner of Police (South-West), Mr. Taj Hassan, told reporters here today that Vijay had planned the murder and then concocted the story to befool the police.

One of his accomplices, Vinod, was already waiting at Olof Palme Marg in Vasant Vihar on the fateful night. At a pre-decided spot, he entered the car and shot Rajni on the forehead from close range. Even as Rajni collapsed, Vijay shot her again in the chest. However, to make it look like a robbery, Vijay then shot himself in thigh.

Police said two weapons were used in the crime. ``We know that the second accomplice had provided both weapons to Vinod,'' Mr. Hassan said. The other accomplice had been following Vinod on a two-wheeler during the entire drama.

To give credence to the robbery theory, Vijay removed some jewellery from his wife's body and handed it over to Vinod who then left the scene along with the other accomplice, by the same name. Vijay gave Rs. 10,000 to Vinod as he had hired him for Rs. 50,000 for committing the murder. Vijay had already paid an advance of Rs 10,000 and the rest was to be paid later.

Investigations revealed that Vijay and Vinod had bought new cash cards to remain in touch on the day of the incident.

After ensuring that his wife was dead, Vijay drove some distance and stopped the vehicle near Priya Cinema. ``Once again to make it look like a robbery, he threw away the car keys in the bushes nearby,'' Mr. Hassan said, adding that the keys were later recovered from the place.

Police said Vijay had been leading the life of a flirt even after his marriage to Rajni in February this year. ``Even on the fateful day, he had met at least three girls during the day,'' Mr. Hassan said.

Vijay disclosed that he had earlier tried to get his wife killed on April 1. ``He had taken her in a Maruti car to Gurgaon and near Manesar, drove down the wrong carriageway, which resulted in a head-on collision with a truck,'' Mr. Hassan said. While Rajni had sustained several fractures in the limbs and ribs, Vijay had escaped with superficial injuries. Prior to the accident, Vijay had also conducted a recce of the place where the accident had occurred.

Meanwhile, Vijay has been sent to judicial custody, while Vinod has been taken into police remand for three days as police have to recover the money as well as the weapons used in the offence. Teams have been sent to Haryana, U.P. and several parts of Delhi to nab the other accused.

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