New Delhi: In a gruesome murder, a proprietor of a restaurant shot dead his wife Priya Mehra in his car near Rohini Jail here in the national capital.

Although the incident occurred on Wednesday, the police cracked the mystery after they secured crucial CCTV footage from the location and arrested the accused.

According to the police, the accused Pankaj, a restaurateur, had claimed that he and his wife Priya were attacked by unidentified armed men near Rohini jail on Wednesday morning. He alleged that the gang, which was sent by his moneylender, waylaid their car and shot his wife dead at point-blank range. Pankaj also claimed that he and his son escaped from the assailants after the pistol of the assailant got jammed.

Later, CCTV footage and scientific evidence proved that Pankaj had lied to the police following the murder. The police said that Pankaj, who was having an extra-marital affair with a woman, had decided to kill his wife. He came out with his wife and son in a car in the wee hours of Wednesday. After reaching Rohini Jail, Pankaj slowed down the vehicle and then shot his wife while she was asleep. He then threw the pistol from a flyover at Mukarba Chowk. He tried to portray the murder as an attack by armed gang sent by his moneylender so that he did not have to return the money (Rs 44 lakh) which Pankaj owed, the police said.

Pankaj was produced before the city court which gave a two-day custody of the accused to the police for further interrogation. The accused admitted to the police that he was in a relationship with a woman and denied marrying her or having children with her. The police are yet to arrest the woman.

Meanwhile, victim Priya's mother Manju Menghani told the police that her daughter had a strained relationship with Pankaj. She also alleged that Pankaj used to beat her up whenever she questioned him about the woman. Manju said that she had seen the pistol with Pankaj.