Varanasi: Three killings within a span of 24 hours have sent shockwaves through Chandauli. Police now say that the same person is behind all three murders — a former serviceman, suspected to be a psychopath.
The accused, Gurpreet Singh, a native of Punjab, was apprehended by a bystander while attempting to flee after allegedly killing a woman admitted to a private hospital in Chandauli on Monday. During interrogation, Singh reportedly confessed that he had also killed two passengers on board the PDDU–Tarighat passenger train and the Kolkata–Jammu Tawi Express on Sunday and Monday. Police seized one revolver and a sawed-off double-barrel gun from his possession.
Providing details of the ongoing marathon interrogation conducted by Chandauli Police, Government Railway Police and other agencies, DIG Varanasi Range Vaibhav Krishna said the arrested accused is a resident of Tarn Taran and had served in the Army but left the service in 2021. Investigators said Singh appeared to be psychologically disturbed, allegedly aggravated by alcoholism. They noted that he became aggressive during questioning due to his disturbed mental state. Officials said he has admitted to killing three people at random without any apparent motive.
On April 29, he left Punjab for Ara in Bihar to join a job as a security guard, although he could not specify the details. He left for Prayagraj on May 9 by train. After he reached the PDDU Junction in Chandauli, he boarded the PDDU-Tarighat passenger train in the morning. When the train was crossing the Alinagar area, Singh indulged in a verbal duel with a fellow passenger Mangru (34) of Ghazipur. During the heated argument, Singh shot Mangru at point-blank range and threw his body on the railway tracks. Amidst chaos in the coach, he jumped off the train when it slowed down before reaching Sakaldiha and escaped.
SP GRP Prashant Verma reached Chandauli to monitor the investigation. However, before the team could find any clue, the killer boarded the S2 coach of 13151 Kolkata-Jammu Tawi Express train, in which Dinesh Shah (42) of Gaya was travelling with his family for Naimisharanya. His sister, two children and his sister’s mother-in-law were travelling in the general compartment at the rear. Immediately after the train departed PDDU Junction around 1:35 am and passed through Block Hut-B, Shah was shot by Singh near the washroom, said officials. Frightened passengers who heard the gunshot informed the running staff. When the train reached Varanasi Junction around 2:42 am, the GRP brought down the body and started legal formalities including evidence collection.
The DIG said that after running away from the Kolkata-Jammu Tawi Express train, Singh wandered around on foot and reached Jeevak hospital in Kamalapur under Alinagar police station in Chandauli early Monday. He got himself registered as a patient by disclosing his name as Virendra (45). He also consulted a doctor. Later, he moved to a ward on the upper floor of the hospital. Eyewitnesses said Singh allegedly fired at a woman patient, Lakshmina (55) of Sasaram, at point-blank range, killing her on the spot. He then fled from the scene, and before exiting the hospital premises, fired another round. As he attempted to escape by boarding a motorcycle, a bystander showed courage, chased him down and managed to catch hold of him. The locals began thrashing him, but police soon reached the spot and rescued him from the angry mob.
