NEW DELHI: A Delhi Police constable accused of killing his wife died in an apparent suicide while on the run, police said on Wednesday.
Police found the body of Manish Bhati behind a five-star hotel in the Mayur Vihar area of east Delhi on Tuesday evening.
An officer said police received a report at about 6 p.m. local time that a man’s body was lying behind the hotel. Officers rushed to the scene.
Preliminary investigations indicate that Bhati shot himself with his service pistol. Police said they were investigating the circumstances of his death.
Bhati, a constable from the 2022 batch of Delhi Police, served with the Anti-Auto Theft Squad (AATS). He had been absconding since Monday after allegedly shooting and killing his 30-year-old wife, Priyanka.
According to police, the couple left their home in New Vinod Nagar on a motorcycle early Monday morning. They allegedly argued during the journey.
Police said CCTV footage showed the couple stopping near Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital, where another argument broke out. Investigators alleged that Bhati then drew his service pistol and shot his wife in the chest before fleeing the scene.
A passerby took the injured woman to Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital, where doctors pronounced her dead.
After the killing, Delhi Police formed five teams to trace Bhati. Officers conducted searches across the National Capital Region and neighboring Haryana, including Noida, Greater Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurugram and Faridabad.
Meanwhile, Priyanka’s family alleged that she had faced dowry-related harassment since her marriage. They said she had previously filed a complaint against her husband and his family with the women’s cell.
Police said they were verifying the family’s allegations of dowry harassment.
According to Delhi Police, Bhati joined the Anti-Auto Theft Squad last year and was regarded by colleagues as a capable police officer.
