NEW DELHI: A day after allegedly shooting dead his wife on a deserted road in East Delhi’s Kalyanpuri, Delhi Police constable Manish Bhati was found dead from an apparent suicide in Mayur Vihar on Tuesday.Police sources said Bhati’s body was found behind a prominent hotel with a gunshot wound to the head. Cops suspect he died by suicide using his service pistol, the same weapon allegedly used to kill his wife, Priyanka Bhati.The 32-year-old constable had been on the run since the alleged murder, prompting police to launch a search across Delhi and neighbouring Haryana. The incident unfolded in the early hours of Monday, just hours after Priyanka’s 34th birthday. According to police, the couple, who lived in East Vinod Nagar, left their home after an argument and were reportedly heading towards LBS Hospital.Priyanka’s family alleged she had suffered a head injury before the shooting and claimed she had been subjected to harassment over dowry demands.“We suspect he took her out on the pretext of getting her treated. We cannot say for certain, but we believe this may have happened,” a family member said.Police said they are verifying statements from neighbours who claimed Manish was taking his wife to the hospital.Investigators believe the couple stopped near a Metro pillar in Kalyanpuri after another argument, where Bhati allegedly shot Priyanka in the chest with his service pistol at around 3.02am before fleeing with her mobile phone. He had left his own phone at home.Police sources said CCTV footage captured the couple arguing moments before the shooting and later showed Bhati returning towards his residence after the incident.Priyanka was taken to hospital by a pizza delivery executive with the help of passersby. A video recorded before she was taken to the hospital showed her attempting to speak as bystanders tried to help.Manish Bhati joined Delhi Police in 2022. He was initially posted with the Special Cell before being transferred to the Anti-Auto Theft Squad of the East district last year.Police had registered a murder case, while a magisterial inquiry was initiated because the couple had been married for less than seven years.
