NEW DELHI: A man who allegedly shot dead his wife and two priests at his home in the Shambhupur village in Ahraula area of Uttar Pradesh’s Azamgarh was killed in a police encounter early Wednesday (Sept 23).
During the nearly seven-hour standoff with the police, he allegedly threatened to kill his children, officials said.
Senior Superintendent of Police Anil Kumar said that the accused, identified as Arvind Singh, died during treatment at around 3.30am.
It all began on Tuesday evening, when Singh returned home around 6pm when a religious ritual was underway.
The ritual was being conducted by his wife Babita Singh (32) along with priests Mahendra Pathak (60) and Akhilesh Mishra (50).
Singh allegedly questioned the priests about the ritual and even asked them to show their Aadhaar cards, following which an argument broke out.
In a fit of rage, he allegedly took out his licensed pistol and opened fire, killing his wife and the two priests.
After this, he locked himself inside a room with his three children.
According to officials, police teams from eight stations surrounded the house, while senior officers, including the SSP, DIG Sunil Kumar Singh and Varanasi ADG Navin Arora, made all possible efforts for several hours to persuade him to surrender.
According to police, Singh repeatedly threatened to kill the children and even fired at them, injuring one child, who was later admitted to hospital in a serious condition. The other two children are said to be out of danger. - The Statesman/ANN
