Azamgarh man accused of killing wife, two priests killed in police encounter

A man who allegedly shot dead his wife and two priests at his residence in Azamgarh was killed in an encounter with police early Wednesday, officials said. The encounter followed a nearly seven-hour standoff during which he allegedly threatened to kill his children.

The accused, identified as Arvind Singh of Shambhupur village in the Ahraula area, died while undergoing treatment at around 3.30 am, Senior Superintendent of Police Anil Kumar said.

Police said Singh returned home at around 6 pm on Tuesday while a religious ritual was being conducted. His wife, Babita Singh, 32, was performing the ritual along with priests Mahendra Pathak, 60, and Akhilesh Mishra, 50.

According to police, Singh questioned the priests about the ritual and asked them to produce their Aadhaar cards. An argument followed, after which he allegedly pulled out his licensed pistol and opened fire, killing his wife and the two priests.

After the shooting, Singh locked himself inside a room with his three children. Police teams from eight police stations surrounded the house, while senior officers, including the SSP, DIG Sunil Kumar Singh and Varanasi ADG Navin Arora, spent several hours trying to convince him to surrender, officials said.

Police said Singh repeatedly threatened to kill the children and also fired at them, injuring one of them. The injured child was admitted to hospital in serious condition, while the other two children were stated to be out of danger.  (with inputs from PTI)