A Delhi Police constable accused of shooting his wife dead has been found dead in a park near Mayur Vihar in East Delhi, hours after allegedly killing her and going on the run. Investigators say constable Manish Bhati turned his own service revolver on himself. He had been evading police since the killing. The twin deaths within Delhi Police ranks on the same day have raised fresh questions about the pressures faced by personnel in the force.
An argument on a scooter ride turned deadly in Kalyanpuri
According to police, Manish Bhati and his wife were riding a scooter through East Delhi's Kalyanpuri area on Monday when an argument broke out between them. The dispute escalated to the point that Bhati stopped the scooter by the roadside, and the two got off still arguing. Eyewitnesses said Bhati then opened fire on his wife in the middle of the road, left her lying there, and fled the scene.
Teacher Priyanka died on her own birthday
The injured woman was rushed to Lal Bahadur Shastri, or LBS, Hospital in East Delhi, but she did not survive the treatment. She was identified as 26 year old Priyanka, who worked as a teacher. In a tragic coincidence, the day she was killed was also her birthday. Police registered a murder case and sent her body for a postmortem examination.
Manhunt ends with a body in a Mayur Vihar park
Bhati remained on the run in the hours after the murder, evading police search teams. This evening, police received information about a body lying in a park near Mayur Vihar in East Delhi. When a team reached the spot and identified the body, it turned out to be the same accused constable, Manish Bhati, who had shot himself with his service revolver. Bhati was posted with East Delhi's Anti Auto Theft Squad, or AATS. Officers believe he had been hiding in and around the area since fleeing the crime scene, and a detailed investigation is now underway to reconstruct his movements over the following hours.
A second policeman also died by suicide the same day
In a separate incident the same Monday, another member of the Delhi Police force died by suicide. A 32 year old sub inspector named Somesh, posted at Madhu Vihar police station, shot himself with his service pistol. Around 12:20 in the afternoon, the sound of a gunshot was heard at the police station, after which it emerged that Somesh had taken this drastic step. Earlier, he had told the Station House Officer, or SHO, that he was headed out for court duty, but he never reached the court.
He told his father he could not take it anymore
Shortly before he died, Somesh called his father and said he could not bear it anymore, after which he locked himself inside. He had been struggling with depression. Police do not suspect any foul play.
A senior officer shared these details of the sub inspector's final phone call. Another senior police officer said no medicine or suicide note was recovered from the scene. Somesh had joined the Delhi Police in 2019 and had been serving in the East District for the past three years.
