An ex-Indian army officer, who killed his wife, two children and himself in their home, was illegally staying in US and a deportation procedure was ongoing against him, federal immigration officers said on Wednesday.
“Avtar Singh was arrested by ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) for unlawful presence in the United States in July 2007, and subsequently placed in removal proceedings,” said Lori Haley, spokesperson of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Western Region, California.
“At the time of his death, HSI was continuing to investigate his case,” said Lori.
On June 9, Singh killed himself along with his wife and two children in his home in Selma, California. His 17-year-old son, who was also shot, is critical.
Singh, a 47-year-old fugitive, was wanted in the killing of prominent Kashmiri lawyer Jaleel Andrabi (42) in 1996.
Haley did not say whether US officials knew of Singh’s alleged crimes in India.
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