New Delhi: Delhi Police are on the lookout for one of their own after he shot dead his wife in the early hours of Monday, allegedly over a “petty disagreement”.
Around 3 am, Manish Bhati and his wife, Priyanka, had stepped out of their house after the latter began to feel unwell. “While they were on the scooty, the two began to argue. Manish stopped the scooter on a spot in Kalyanpuri and shot his wife,” DCP (East) Rajeev Kumar told ThePrint over the phone.
The accused is currently at large, the police said, adding that Bhati shot his wife a little below her left collar bone.
Bhati and Priyanka got married in 2023 and had been living in Vinod Nagar. The initial probe suggests that the couple fought frequently and had compatibility issues. “The neighbours informed us that the two would fight over minor things, like the food not tasting well,” the DCP said.
DCP Kumar added that CCTV footage shows the couple leaving their Vinod Nagar residence around 2 am. An eyewitness told the police that the accused shot the wife and fled the scene on his scooter. “We have learnt that he (Bhati) shot Priyanka, left her body on the road and fled from the scene. He has been at large since,” said the DCP.
Subsequently, an autorickshaw driver spotted the body lying in a pool of blood by the road and rushed her to the Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital. The auto driver informed the police while taking Priyanka to the hospital, it is learnt.
By the time police reached the hospital, Priyanka was declared dead, the DCP said.
Police are currently combing through CCTV footage from across Delhi to track the accused, and several teams have been dispersed to nab him. “We are also interrogating the couple’s family members to understand their marital issues,” DCP Kumar said.
Bhati had joined the Delhi Police in 2022 and at present was posted with the anti-auto theft squad of the East district. Priyanka (24) was a teacher at a private school near Ashok Vihar.
The police have booked Bhati under sections of the BNS related to muder.
(Edited by Niyati Kothiyal)