Five teams search for Delhi constable who shot wife dead; police say dowry claim being probed

New Delhi, Jul 14 (PTI) A day after a Delhi Police constable allegedly shot his wife dead on her birthday in east Delhi's Vinod Nagar area, investigators on Tuesday said five police teams are conducting raids across Delhi-NCR and Haryana to trace the accused, who remains absconding. The accused, Manish Bhati, a 2022-batch Delhi Police constable posted with the Anti Auto Theft Squad (AATS), is suspected to have fled shortly after allegedly shooting his 30-year-old wife, Priyanka, in the chest with his service pistol following an argument. The deceased's family has alleged that she had been subjected to dowry harassment since her marriage in 2023 and had earlier approached the women's cell with a complaint against her husband and his family. Police said the allegations are being verified as part of the investigation. A senior police officer said raids are being carried out in Noida, Greater Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurugram, Faridabad and many other parts of Haryana based on technical surveillance and other leads. "We are conducting raids in Noida, Greater Noida, Ghaziabad and some places in Haryana. We have got important clues about his whereabouts. He will be arrested soon," the officer said. Police said Bhati joined the AATS last year and was considered a sharp-minded officer by his colleagues. According to the investigation, the couple left their New Vinod Nagar residence together on a two-wheeler in the early hours of Monday after an argument. CCTV footage recovered by police allegedly shows them stopping on a road near Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital, where an argument ensued before the constable allegedly opened fire and fled. Priyanka, a teacher at a private school in Ashok Vihar, was taken to Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital by a passerby, where doctors declared her brought dead. A case of murder has been registered, and investigators are examining CCTV footage, electronic evidence and witness statements to establish the sequence of events leading to the killing. PTI BM PRK