A 42-year-old man allegedly shot his wife dead in front of their 11-year-old daughter at a high-rise apartment in Ghaziabad’s Rajnagar Extension on Tuesday morning after a heated argument, police said.
The couple, who had been living separately for two months, were reportedly in a long-running conflict over the man’s unemployment and drinking habits, according to investigators privy to the case details.
Police identified the deceased as 40-year-old Ruby Sehrawat, a homemaker originally from Tibra village in Modinagar. She had been living with her two daughters – aged 15 and 11 – at Ajnara Integrity Society. Her husband, Vikas Sehrawat, who had been unemployed for some time after working as a contractor, is on the run, police said on Tuesday.
The couple had been married for 17 years and had a history of violent quarrels, investigators said, adding that Vikas had moved out of their flat two months ago and was living in a rented accommodation nearby.
“They often fought over his drinking and unemployment,” the police officer, who asked not to be identified, said.
The investigator cited above said that the suspect “rarely” visited his family since moving out two months ago, but had come over two days ago as well.
“On Tuesday, he came to her flat to collect his passport and Aadhar card. When Ruby refused to hand over the passport, he shot her,” said Upasana Pandey, assistant commissioner of police, Ghaziabad.
Investigators cited above said that the husband and wife were both named in several criminal cases, including one of murder registered at Modinagar police station in 2020. They were among 14 accused charged under the Gangsters Act the same year. Ruby was granted bail in 2021 and Vikas earlier this year. “Despite being out on bail, their domestic disputes had escalated recently. He rarely visited the house in the past month,” said a senior officer.
Police said Ruby was shot in front of her younger daughter while the elder one had already left for school. After the shooting, Vikas fled on a motorcycle, leaving Ruby bleeding on the floor.
Neighbours rushed in after hearing gunshots and her daughter’s screams, alerting the police control room around 7.30am.
“We received information from members of the apartment owners’ association (AOA), following which a team was immediately dispatched,” said station house officer (Nandgram) Umesh Kumar.
Ruby was taken to a nearby hospital, where doctors declared her brought dead.
Police are investigating whether Vikas intended to leave the country, as he had been demanding his passport in recent days. “He came on a motorcycle and left on it. CCTV footage is being scanned to track his route,” said a senior police officer, asking not to be identified.
Three police teams have been formed to trace the suspect. “We are mapping his movements through CCTV and phone surveillance. A case under Section 103 (murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita has been registered,” said ACP Pandey.