May 10, 7.30 am | Mangru (34) of Ghazipur shot dead onboard PDDU-Tadighat passenger trainMay 11, 1.40 am | Dinesh Shah (42) of Gaya shot dead in Kolkata-Jammu Tawi ExpressMay 11, 6.30 am | Laxmina (55) of Sasaram shot dead inside a private hospital wardVaranasi: Three killings within a span of 24 hours — two on running trains and one in a hospital — sent shockwaves through Chandauli on Monday morning. All the victims were murdered in cold blood. Police now say that the same person — a former serviceman, who appeared to be a mentally disturbed — was behind all three sensational killings.The accused, Gurpreet Singh, 45, a native of Punjab, was apprehended by an auto driver when he was attempting to flee after allegedly killing a woman admitted to a private hospital in Chandauli on Monday morning. While taken for a crime scene recreation near Kuchhman railway station under Sakaldiha police station, the accused tried to escape after snatching the firearm of policemen and opening fire on them on Monday night. In retaliatory firing by the police, he suffered a bullet injury and died later, Varanasi range DIG Vaibhav Krishna told TOI.A constable of the police and also of the GRP suffered a bullet injury in their hands when Singh opened fire.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. One murder resulted from a verbal duel with the victim, while the other two were unprovoked.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, the DIG 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 of security guard, although he could not specify the details. He left for Prayagraj on May 9 by train. After reaching 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 pasenger Mangru (34) of Ghazipur.During the heated argument, Singh allegedly shot Mangru point-blank and threw his body on the railway tracks. Amid 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 the 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 left 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 registered himself 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, Laxmina (55) of Bhabhua dist, Bihar, 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, an auto driver who had come to drop a patient 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.
