CHANDIGARH: A former serviceman, Gurpreet Singh, fatally shot his wife, Akwinder Kaur, and his mother-in-law, Gurjit Kaur, over a marital dispute in Gurdaspur, Punjab, today, before turning the rifle on himself.
Singh, who hailed from Dalia Ramanjan village in Gurdaspur district, was employed as a security guard at Gurdaspur District Jail by the Punjab Ex-Serviceman Corporation (PESCO).
According to sources, Singh had taken his rifle before forcing entry into his wife’s parental home in Khuthi village, Dorangla block, where she had been residing for the past few years. Akwinder was reportedly staying with her mother due to Singh's alleged harassment and threats.
After the initial killings, Singh arrived at the Improvement Trust Colony No. 7 in Gurdaspur, where high drama unfolded. Approximately 200 police personnel were deployed after Singh threatened to go on a killing spree.
Gurdaspur Senior Superintendent of Police, Aditya, initiated negotiations with Singh, assuring him that he would not be harmed if he surrendered. Singh initially refused to negotiate. As officers discussed their next course of action, a moment of silence was broken by a gunshot, which the police initially suspected was Singh committing suicide. However, when officers checked, Singh was found sitting on the staircase of the building. It was later determined that the shot had been inadvertently fired by a police officer.
A second round of negotiation began, but Singh threatened to fire if the police attempted to arrest him. A few minutes later, another gunshot was heard. This time, sources confirmed, the accused had shot himself.
Senior Superintendent of Police Aditya stated, "After Singh shot his wife and mother-in-law at their house in Khuthi village, Dorangla, police rushed to the scene. We cordoned off the nearby Improvement Trust Colony where he was hiding after the murders. We wanted to ensure he did not cause further damage in the populated locality."