Delhi cop shoots wife dead in middle of road, flees

2 min readUpdated: Jul 13, 2026 01:48 PM IST

Manish Bhati, posted with the Anti-Auto Theft squad unit of the Delhi Police’s East district. (Express Photo)

A Delhi Police constable allegedly killed his wife on her birthday in East Delhi’s Kalyanpuri area on Monday, police sources said.

According to police, Manish Bhati, posted with the Anti-Auto Theft squad unit of the Delhi Police’s East district, allegedly shot his wife Priyanka around 3 am in the middle of a road near the Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital, and then fled the scene.

The couple had been married for three years and lived in Vinod Nagar. CCTV footage, as per sources, showed that the couple had left their house on a scooter about 2 am but got into an argument near the LBS Hospital.

“Bhati stopped the scooter and his wife, Priyanka (24), got off. They then started arguing, with the woman visibly animated. He then pulled out a gun and shot her before fleeing,” said a senior police officer.

Lying drenched in a pool of blood, Priyanka was discovered by an auto driver who was passing the road. As per police, he then took her to the LBS hospital where she was pronounced dead on arrival.

The victim, Priyanka (24). (Express Photo)

Police said they are looking for Bhati, with multiple teams set up to find him as CCTV footage along the route of his scooter is being tracked.

“Initial questioning of neighbours has revealed that the couple used to get into frequent arguments. Even on Sunday night, neighbours claimed they overheard an argument between the couple before they went out. We are now questioning the family members to get a detailed history of the issues the two had,” said a senior police officer.

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Priyanka was a teacher at Providence school in Ashok Vihar. Her family has alleged the accused made demands for dowry, and they fought over it in 2024. Following this, they said Priyanka stayed for eight months with her brother.