Daijiworld Media Network - Ahmedabad

Ahmedabad, Mar 22: In a shocking twist to a murder-for-hire case, a contract killer hired to eliminate a woman’s son allegedly murdered the woman herself and remained absconding for five years before being arrested, police said.

The accused, Ajay Mishra, was nabbed by the Ahmedabad Crime Branch from the Naroda area, cracking a 2021 murder and robbery case registered in Raipur.

According to investigators, the case stemmed from a property dispute within a family. Shakuntala Yadav, along with her younger son Amit Yadav, had allegedly hired Mishra—then working as a hospital security guard—to kill her elder son. A deal of Rs 4 lakh was finalised, with Rs 1 lakh paid in advance.

However, Mishra did not execute the contract and instead fled to his native village. When Shakuntala and her son later traced him and demanded their money back, he reportedly assured them of repayment.

Months later, Mishra returned to Raipur, but with a different intent. Police said he, along with an associate identified as Ketan Tiwari, visited Shakuntala’s residence when she was alone and decided to target her instead.

The duo allegedly strangled the elderly woman using a rope and fled with around Rs 10 lakh in cash and 350–450 grams of gold jewellery. The stolen gold was later disposed of.

To evade arrest, Mishra went underground, abandoning his mobile phone and avoiding the use of identification documents. He kept moving across locations before settling in Ahmedabad’s Naroda area in 2022, where he managed to stay off the radar.

Following sustained investigation and fresh leads, the Ahmedabad Crime Branch tracked him down and arrested him, bringing an end to his prolonged evasion. Police said further legal action is underway, while efforts continue to trace other accused involved in the case.