Tragic Murder-Suicide in Punjab: Ex-Serviceman Kills Wife and Mother-in-Law Before Taking His Own Life

Law enforcement officers spent approximately an hour urging the man to surrender.

A former military serviceman currently employed as a jail guard in Punjab's Gurdaspur fatally shot his wife and mother-in-law early Wednesday morning before taking his own life with his government-issued AK-47 rifle.

The violent incident, which stemmed from an ongoing domestic conflict, occurred at approximately 3:00 am.

According to police reports, Gurpreet Singh initially fired at his wife, Akvinder Kaur, and subsequently at her mother, Gurjeet Kaur. Following these homicides, he escaped and concealed himself in residential quarters located in Scheme Number 7 in Gurdaspur.

When police attempted to apprehend him, he threatened the officers, stating he would shoot himself. Despite law enforcement spending roughly an hour pleading with him to surrender, he ultimately shot himself instead of surrendering.

During a press briefing, Gurdaspur Senior Superintendent of Police Aditya stated, "Gurpreet Singh was assigned to the Central Jail, Gurdaspur, and had been provided a government AK-47 rifle for his duties. At about 3:00 am last night, due to domestic disputes, Gurpreet utilized the rifle to shoot his wife, Akvinder Kaur, and his mother-in-law, Gurjeet Kaur. After committing these murders, he fled and hid in residential quarters in Scheme Number 7 in Gurdaspur."

He further mentioned, "A police team quickly surrounded the location and appealed for his surrender. However, Gurpreet refused to comply and instead shot himself. We are currently investigating the incident."

Family members of the victims reported that the couple had been experiencing marital problems for several years. Parminder Kaur, sister of Akvinder Kaur, revealed that they married in 2016 and frequently engaged in arguments. She alleged that Gurpreet psychologically abused her sister and had been making threats against her.

"They were married in 2016. He behaves like a psychopath. He mentally tortured my sister. We had filed a complaint with the police," she stated.

Following her brother's death in 2020, Parminder's mother had brought Akvinder to live with her. Parminder explained that Gurpreet continued harassing and threatening her sister even after she moved in with her mother. "He repeatedly called and threatened to kill her. But she said, 'How can he kill me when I'm staying at home?' We never imagined he would commit such an act."

Describing the assault, she added, "He arrived at 3:00 am and called my sister. When she opened the door, he shot her twice... He also shot my mother."