Gurdaspur: A massive police operation unfolded in Gurdaspur’s Improvement Trust Colony No. 7 on Wednesday morning after an ex-armyman, armed with a stolen assault rifle, threatened violence in the densely populated neighbourhood. The standoff ended when the man shot himself, hours after allegedly killing his wife and mother-in-law.
The accused, Gurpreet Singh, was employed with the Punjab Ex-Servicemen Corporation (PESCO), an organisation that assigns ex-servicemen to security roles, including prison duty. Officers say he took an AK-47 rifle while posted at a jail and returned to Khuthi village on Tuesday night, where he is suspected of fatally shooting the two women.
Early Wednesday, local residents alerted authorities after spotting a man carrying an assault rifle and threatening to open fire. As soon as the message reached senior officials, SSP Aditya mobilised close to 200 police personnel, who quickly sealed the area and identified the building where Gurpreet had taken refuge. Officers, including the SSP, donned bulletproof jackets as teams spread out across the colony.
Negotiators made the first attempt to persuade him to surrender peacefully. Gurpreet, however, barely responded. A sudden gunshot interrupted the silence, prompting fears that he had taken his own life. When officers cautiously approached, they discovered he was still alive, seated on a staircase. The round had actually been accidentally fired by a police officer, who was later admonished by the SSP.
A second effort at negotiation followed, but Gurpreet grew confrontational, insisting he would fire if police moved closer. Minutes later, another gunshot echoed through the building. This time, he had turned the rifle on himself, bringing the tense standoff to an end.
Police have launched a detailed investigation to determine what triggered the killings and the subsequent crisis.
