A carefully planned murder-for-hire scheme spiraled into an unexpected and disturbing outcome when the hired assassin ultimately betrayed the very person who had employed him. What initially stemmed from an intense family dispute over property ownership gradually escalated into a brutal and calculated homicide, followed by a prolonged five-year period during which the accused managed to evade law enforcement authorities.
In a shocking twist, the contract killer—who had originally been hired to assassinate a woman’s own son—ended up murdering the woman herself. After committing the crime, he vanished, taking with him a substantial amount of cash and gold, and remained untraceable for years before finally being apprehended.
The accused, identified as Ajay Mishra, was eventually arrested by the Ahmedabad Crime Branch from the Naroda locality. His arrest brought a breakthrough in solving a murder and robbery case that had occurred in 2021 in Raipur, Chhattisgarh.
The origins of the case lie in a deep-seated family conflict centered around property. It is alleged that Shakuntala Yadav, along with her younger son Amit Yadav, conspired to eliminate her elder son. To carry out the act, they reportedly approached Mishra, who worked as a security guard at a hospital and was known to the family. An agreement was made in which Mishra was promised ₹4 lakh for the job, out of which ₹1 lakh was paid upfront as an advance.
However, instead of executing the planned murder, Mishra fled to his native village without completing the task. When Shakuntala and Amit later located him and demanded the return of their advance payment, he reassured them that he would repay the amount.
Several months passed before Mishra resurfaced—but his intentions had drastically changed. Rather than returning the money, he, along with an associate named Ketan Tiwari, went to Shakuntala’s residence in Raipur. At the time, she was alone at home. Recognizing the vulnerability of the situation, the two allegedly abandoned the initial contract and decided to make her their target instead.
According to police reports, Mishra and his accomplice strangled the elderly woman using a rope, resulting in her death. After committing the crime, they looted approximately ₹10 lakh in cash along with 350–450 grams of gold jewellery from the house. The stolen gold was later disposed of by selling it off.
In order to avoid being traced by authorities, Mishra deliberately cut off all digital and official links to his identity. He discarded his mobile phone and refrained from using essential identification documents such as PAN and Aadhaar. He frequently moved between different locations to avoid suspicion before eventually settling in the Naroda area of Ahmedabad in 2022, where he managed to stay unnoticed for a significant period.
Following years of investigation and the receipt of new leads, the Ahmedabad Crime Branch successfully tracked down Mishra and placed him under arrest, effectively ending his five-year evasion from justice. Police officials have stated that further legal proceedings are currently in progress, and efforts are ongoing to locate and apprehend other individuals who may have been involved in the crime.
