An ex-Army personnel, Gurpreet Singh, died in a police encounter on Sunday in Chandauli, Uttar Pradesh, after firing upon a police team during a crime scene reconstruction.
Singh was held in connection with the suspected random killing of three individuals, including a woman, within the Alinagar police station jurisdiction in the past 48 hours.
Superintendent of Police Akash Patel stated, “Between May 10 and 11, three incidents occurred within the jurisdiction of the Alinagar Police Station, in which three different individuals were shot dead. Regarding the incident that took place this morning–in which a woman was murdered–the accused was apprehended by members of the public and subsequently taken into police custody. The accused has been identified as Gurpreet Singh…”
He added, “He revealed that he was discharged from the Army in 2021… Subsequently, on April 29, he travelled from Punjab to Bihar to take up a job as a security guard… He had developed an alcohol addiction, which led to his dismissal from the job; since then, he had been harbouring deep resentment and mental distress…”
SP Patel further informed, “On May 10, in Chandauli, the accused shot and killed a man aboard a passenger train… He similarly shot and killed another man on a different train, and this morning, he shot and killed a woman at a hospital…”
The SP added, “He was taken to the crime scene for a reconstruction of the events… During this process, he opened fire on the police team in an attempt to escape… The police cordoned off the area, and in the ensuing retaliatory fire, he sustained two gunshot wounds; he was rushed to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.”
According to the accused, he was consumed by rage and was committing these murders randomly, without any personal animosity toward the victims. Akash Patel said, “Further action regarding this case is currently underway.”
In a separate case causing shock locally, Amroha Police have revealed a conspiracy involving a family allegedly arranging the murder of their own son. The victim, identified as Dushyant, was found dead near a dry canal in Shampur village, under the Didoli Kotwali jurisdiction.
Initially considered a random act of violence or accident, police investigations uncovered that the killers were his family members. Following digital and physical surveillance, the victim's father and brother were arrested. They confessed during interrogation, stating that his unchecked drug addiction and the resulting household distress motivated the crime.
The father and brother remain in custody facing murder and conspiracy charges. Police have launched a manhunt for the contract killer, Jolly, who remains at large.