3 shootings, 48 hours: Punjab ex-Armyman’s ‘killing spree’ in UP ends in encounter
Police said between Sunday and Monday, the suspect allegedly killed a woman patient at a hospital in Chandauli and two passengers on trains
Gurpreet Singh served in the Indian Army for 25 years before returning to the village in 2021. (Express Photo). Hours after he allegedly shot a woman patient dead at a hospital in Uttar Pradesh’s Chandauli, a former serviceman was killed in an encounter, said police. According to police, the accused, Gurpreet Singh, 42, had been involved in three killings, including two murders on trains, in 48 hours.
Describing the sequence of events, police said on Monday morning, Gurpreet entered Jeevak Hospital under the pretext of seeking medical treatment. After registering as a patient and obtaining a prescription at the hospital counter, police said he walked through the facility and approached the bed of 55-year-old Lachmina Devi, a resident of Bhabua in Bihar, who had been undergoing treatment there for several days.
#WATCH | Chandauli, Uttar Pradesh: Superintendent of Police Akash Patel says, "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… pic.twitter.com/xpptl4jOVD
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Police said he allegedly shot her in the temple at close range before attempting to flee. He was overpowered by people at the spot, beaten up, and handed over to police.
Police said after questioning, the accused was taken to Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Junction railway station as part of crime scene reconstruction. Police later took him to a site in the Sakaldiha police station area where the first victim’s body had been recovered.
During the operation, officers claimed the accused suddenly snatched a pistol from one of the officers, opened fire at the police team and fled. Additional forces were rushed to the area, and a joint search operation was launched.
Police said Gurpreet fired again at officers during the combing operation. Police said they retaliated in self-defence, shooting him in the chest. Two police officers were injured in the gunfire.
Vaibhav Krishna, Deputy Inspector General of Police, Varanasi Range, said the injured officers and the accused were taken to hospital immediately, where doctors declared the accused dead. The two injured policemen are currently undergoing treatment.
Police said before the hospital shooting, Gurpreet allegedly killed Dinesh Shah (55) from Bihar’s Gaya inside the Jammu Tavi Express in the early hours of Monday before escaping from the moving carriage.
On Sunday morning, police said, the accused allegedly shot dead Mangru Chaudhary (34), a resident of Ghazipur district, aboard the Tarighat Express before throwing the victim’s body from the moving train.
Police believe Gurpreet used his licenced weapon in the attacks and had no connection to any of the three victims. All three killings appear to have been random acts of violence, police added.
Why did he do it?
Chandauli Superintendent of Police, Akash Patel, said police have so far found no clear motive behind the three killings. During questioning, police said all he told them was that he was disturbed and frustrated and killed random people without any reason.
According to police, Gurpreet was from Tarn Taran in Amritsar, Punjab. Police said he told them he was a sepoy in the Indian Army but was dismissed in 2021.
Based on his questioning, police pieced together his movements in the days leading up to the killings.
“On April 29, he claimed he left Punjab for Arrah district in Bihar for a security guard job. But he was fired within a few days over his alcoholism,” said police, adding that the dismissal left him deeply frustrated, volatile and mentally disturbed.
According to police, Gurpreet began travelling across multiple locations, including Prayagraj and Chandauli, by train from May 9 onwards.
“On May 9, he left Arrah by train, travelled to Prayagraj, and then stopped at Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Junction (PDDU) railway station in Chandauli,” said a police officer.
He carried out his first two crimes then, said police.
“He boarded the Tarighat Express on the morning of May 10 and shot at Mangru randomly. He managed to escape and came again to PPDU station. On May 11, around 1.30, Gurpreet boarded the Jammu Tavi Express and fired at Dinesh Shah,” said police.
Police said Gurpreet then spent the night moving between locations before arriving at Jeevak Hospital the following morning — where he killed Lachmina.
Officers are also gathering more details about Gurpreet’s background and contacting family members to verify aspects of his personal history and mental state.
Police said two licenced firearms were recovered from the accused — a revolver and a sawed-off double barrel gun — and will be sent for forensic examination.
Police said no personal motive emerged from the investigation, and preliminary findings suggested the victims were chosen at random. Electronic evidence, including location tracking and forensic material, has allegedly linked Gurpreet to all three killings, they said.
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