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Property dealer ‘kills’ wife, son, then dies by suicide in Punjab village

Three members of a family with a single gunshot wounds to the head were found dead around 4 pm inside a Toyota Fortuner parked near Changera village turn on the Banur–Tepla National Highway.

Three members of a family were found dead near Changera village turn on the Banur–Tepla National Highway.

Three members of a family were found dead around 4 pm inside a Toyota Fortuner (PB-65 AM-0082) parked near Changera village turn on the Banur–Tepla National Highway. Police identified the deceased as Sandeep Singh (45), a property dealer from Sikhwala village in Bathinda district; his wife Mandeep Kaur (42) and their 15-year-old son Abhay. A .32-bore pistol was still in Sandeep’s hand, and all three victims had single gunshot wounds to the head, leading investigators to treat the case as a “familial murder-suicide”.

Farm labourers installing a tube-well in neighbouring fields spotted the bodies and immediately alerted the Banur police. Station House Officer (SHO) and DSP (Rajpura) Manjit Singh led the first responders to the scene.

“The preliminary investigation points to a collective suicide. Sandeep’s .32-bore pistol was recovered from his hand,” DSP Manjit Singh said. “It appears he shot his wife and son first and then himself.” The SUV’s engine was still running when the officers arrived; they switched it off before securing the area.

The bodies were sent to Civil Hospital, Rajpura, for a post-mortem. A case was registered. “Sandeep was always cheerful. We never imagined he would take such a step,” said the property dealer’s relative Amrinder Singh.

According to Amrinder Singh, the family had earlier lived in Gurugram but moved to Sector 109, Mohali, three years ago, where they were building a 700-sq-yd home while residing in MR Flats. No suicide note was found.

Amrinder said Sandeep earned “substantial profits” in real estate and the family was financially secure.

“Personal discord or mental stress might have driven this act, but we are examining every possibility,” the DSP added. A police team visited the victims’ Mohali residence, seizing CCTV DVRs, documents and mobile phones to pinpoint the motive.

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Sandeep’s brother in Bathinda and sister in the United States were informed of the tragedy. The bodies would remain in the mortuary until the victims’ relatives arrived for the last rites.

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