A man accused of stabbing his wife and murdering his mother-in-law and brother-in-law during a panchayat meeting in Bareilly was killed in an encounter with the police, officials said on Tuesday.
According to the police, the accused, Afsar Khan (40), and Saima (28) had been married for nine years and have two children. About five days ago, the woman came to her maternal home following some family dispute.
To resolve the matter, a panchayat meeting was convened on Monday. During the meeting, Afsar Khan, an ambulance driver by profession, stabbed to death his mother-in-law, Asma (54), and brother-in-law Adil (20).
He also attacked and injured his wife when she attempted to intervene. While her mother and brother died, Saima was admitted to a private hospital, where remains in a critical condition, they said.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Anurag Arya said after the murders were committed during the panchayat meeting, police launched a manhunt for the accused.
On Tuesday morning, the police received a tip-off that Afsar was present at the Sahara Ground in Mudiya Ahmadnagar, armed with an illegal weapon, and that he might attempt to go to the hospital to kill his wife.
Police repeatedly called him to surrender, but instead, he opened fire on the police personnel. The police retaliated and fired in self-defence, following which Afsar sustained critical injuries. He was immediately rushed to the district hospital, where doctors declared him dead, the SSP said.
Two police personnel -- constables Rupendra and Anurag -- also sustained injuries during the exchange of fire and are currently undergoing treatment at the district hospital, he added.
The police recovered a pistol, ammunition and a knife from the possession of the accused, the SSP said.
According to police sources, Afsar had an extensive criminal background.
In 2009, Afsar had murdered his maternal uncle. This case was registered at the Bithri Chainpur police station. He was sent to jail and sentenced to life imprisonment.
Upon securing a bail from the court, he returned to his village. However, there was no improvement in his behaviour following his release from prison, the police sources said.
A case of theft was also registered against him, officials said, adding that further probe is underway.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
