A tense standoff lasting nearly seven hours in Shambhuganj village, Azamgarh, ended early Wednesday when police shot dead Arvind Singh (40), who had allegedly murdered his wife and two priests and then held his three children hostage inside his home, refusing multiple calls to give himself up.
During the exchange of gunfire, Arvind and his eight-year-old son Shaurya (also known as Lakha) were seriously wounded and taken to the District Hospital. Shaurya later died from his injuries, while Arvind was pronounced dead at the scene. His two daughters, Pari (10) and Saanvi (11 months), were pulled out safely.
DIG Sunil Kumar Singh said officers, along with relatives and family members, spent the night trying to talk Arvind into surrendering, but he would neither free the children nor come outside.
ADG (Varanasi Zone) Naveen Arora said the standoff stretched on for seven hours, with Arvind repeatedly telling police to leave and claiming he would resolve things the next morning. Matters took a turn when a gunshot rang out from inside the room, pushing police to move in and attempt a rescue.
Officers deployed stun grenades and tear gas before forcing the door open. Police say Arvind then fired at them with his revolver, emptying all six chambers, while the police team fired back several rounds in response.
Pari and Saanvi were both brought out safely during the operation. Shaurya, police said, was struck by a bullet fired by his own father and later died of his injuries. The two girls have since been handed over to relatives.
The standoff came after a triple murder took place at the same house the previous evening, during a religious ceremony. The victims were identified as Mahendra Pathak (60), Akhilesh Mishra (50) and Arvind’s wife Babita (32). Two other priests attending the ceremony managed to escape unharmed.
Police said Arvind’s mother had arranged for priests to conduct rites for the soul of his brother Sunil, who had been murdered back in 2019. According to relatives, Arvind was against holding the ceremony and had earlier told the priests not to come to the house.
Investigators said Arvind arrived home while the ritual was underway, confronted the priests over their presence, and demanded to see their Aadhaar cards. A heated argument broke out, after which he allegedly shot and killed the two priests and his wife on the spot.
He then locked himself inside the house with his three children, setting off a large-scale police response. Senior officials including District Magistrate Ravindra Kumar, SSP Anil Kumar, DIG Sunil Kumar Singh and ADG (Varanasi Zone) Naveen Arora reached the site along with forensic teams, and an ATS commando unit was brought in to assist.
The bodies have been sent for post-mortem examination, and forensic teams collected evidence from the scene. No police personnel were hurt in the encounter.
