Ex-Army Man Killed in Police Encounter After Three Random Murders in 48 Hours Across UP Trains and Hospital
A former serviceman accused of carrying out three shocking murders within 48 hours in Uttar Pradesh was killed in a police encounter in Chandauli district on Monday, officials said.
The accused, identified as 42-year-old Gurpreet Singh from Punjab, had allegedly gunned down two passengers aboard moving trains before shooting a woman patient inside a private hospital.
According to police, the latest incident unfolded on Monday morning at Jeevak Hospital in Chandauli. Gurpreet reportedly entered the hospital pretending to seek medical treatment.
After registering himself at the reception and obtaining a prescription slip, he casually moved through the premises before approaching a ward where 55-year-old Lachmina Devi, a resident of Bihar’s Bhabua district, had been admitted for treatment for the past several days.
Investigators said Gurpreet suddenly pulled out a firearm and shot the woman at point-blank range in the temple.
Panic spread inside the hospital as staff members and attendants rushed toward the ward. Before he could escape, people present at the hospital overpowered him, assaulted him and handed him over to the police.
During interrogation, police began reconstructing the chain of crimes allegedly committed by the accused.
Officers first took him to the Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Junction railway station to retrace his movements.
Later, he was brought to a location in the Sakaldiha police station area where another victim’s body had earlier been recovered.
Police claimed that during the investigation process, Gurpreet suddenly snatched a pistol from a police officer and opened fire before fleeing into the area. Security personnel immediately launched a large-scale combing operation and surrounded the locality.
Officials said the accused again fired at police teams during the search operation.
In retaliatory firing, police shot him in the chest. Two policemen also sustained injuries during the exchange of fire.
Varanasi Range Deputy Inspector General of Police Vaibhav Krishna said the injured officers and the accused were rushed to the hospital, where doctors declared Gurpreet dead.
The injured policemen remain under treatment.
Police investigations revealed that the hospital murder was allegedly the third killing committed by Gurpreet within two days.
Earlier on Monday, he was accused of murdering 55-year-old Dinesh Shah from Bihar’s Gaya district aboard the Jammu Tawi Express.
Investigators said Gurpreet allegedly shot the passenger inside the train during the early hours before escaping from the moving coach.
A day earlier, on Sunday morning, another passenger, 34-year-old Mangru Chaudhary from Ghazipur district, was allegedly shot dead aboard the Tarighat Express.
Police said the victim’s body was later thrown out of the moving train.
According to investigators, none of the three victims had any connection with the accused.
Police suspect the killings were completely random acts of violence carried out using Gurpreet’s licensed firearm.
Chandauli Superintendent of Police Akash Patel said investigators have not yet discovered any personal motive behind the murders.
During questioning, Gurpreet allegedly told officers that he was mentally disturbed, frustrated and had been targeting random people without any specific reason.
Police said Gurpreet belonged to the Tarn Taran district in Punjab and had previously served as a sepoy in the Indian Army before being dismissed from service in 2021.
During questioning, investigators reconstructed his movements over the past several days. Gurpreet reportedly left Punjab on April 29 and travelled to Bihar’s Arrah district in search of work as a security guard.
However, police said he lost the job within days because of excessive alcohol consumption.
Officials believe the dismissal triggered emotional instability and frustration, after which he began travelling continuously by train across several districts, including Prayagraj and Chandauli.
Police said Gurpreet left Arrah on May 9 and reached Prayagraj before travelling onward to the Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Junction in Chandauli. Investigators believe he carried out the first two murders during this period.
According to police, Gurpreet boarded the Tarighat Express on May 10 and allegedly shot Mangru Chaudhary without any provocation.
After escaping, he returned to the PDDU railway station. The following day, at around 1.30 am, he allegedly boarded the Jammu Tawi Express and shot Dinesh Shah.
Police said he continued moving between locations throughout the night before finally reaching Jeevak Hospital on Monday morning, where the third murder took place.
Investigators are now collecting more information about his personal life, service history and mental condition.
Police teams are also in contact with his family members in Punjab to verify details related to his background.
During the investigation, officers recovered two licensed firearms from the accused — a revolver and a modified double-barreled gun.
Both weapons have been sent for forensic examination.
Police added that electronic evidence, location tracking records and forensic findings have so far linked Gurpreet Singh to all three killings.
Preliminary investigation indicates the victims were selected randomly and there was no known enmity or personal connection between them and the accused.
