Soldier kills wife, sister-in-law before shooting self

Army man shot himself to death after killing his wife and sister-in-law in a car in Patna

An Army personnel, ailing and on a vacation, on Sunday shot dead his wife and her younger sister near here before pulling the trigger at himself after what was apparently a squabble, police said.

The triple killings took place inside a moving car, which the deceased Army man had hired to visit the city, and the driver beside whom two children of the couple were seated pulled up in Paliganj police station area of rural Patna upon hearing the gunshots, the police said.

"The deceased army man Vishnu Sharma (33) was a resident of Bhojpur district. He was accompanied by wife Damini (32) and sister-in-law Khushboo (25). They were coming to Patna and they died inside the car. Their bodies have been taken for post mortem. Statements of the children, both said to be less than 10 years of age, and the car driver are being recorded", Paliganj SHO Indrajit Singh told PTI-Bhasha over the phone.

Police sources said Sharma was posted in Gujarat and had come to his home on a holiday. His children have said that they were coming to the state capital to get him treated for some illness and during the journey he picked up a quarrel with his wife and sister-in-law.

It was not yet clear what illness the Army personnel suffered from. According to some accounts, he had contracted dengue while there were unconfirmed reports said that he had been suffering from depression.

Further investigations were on, police added.