A former Indian Army officer Major Avtar Singh has committed suicide after killing his wife and two of their children in their California home. He was involved in the killing of noted Kashmiri human rights lawyer, Jaleel Andrabi, in Srinagar in 1996, KMS (Kashmir Media Service) reported. Avtar Singh called Selma police at around 6:15 am and told them that he had just killed four people, Fresno County Sheriff’s Deputy Chris Curtice said. Selma police asked for assistance from the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office because Singh was known to have a military background and was wanted in the killing of Jaleel Andrabi. When a sheriff’s SWAT (special weapons and tactics) team entered the home they found the bodies of Singh, a woman believed to be his wife and two children, ages 3 and 15, Curtice said. All four appeared to have died from gunshot wounds. A 17-year-old boy also found in the home was suffering from severe head trauma and was “barely alive,” Curtice said. The teen was taken to a hospital where he underwent surgery. His condition wasn’t known. It is to mention here that Major Avtar Singh fled to Canada after he was charged in the killing of Jaleel Andrabi. An army team led by Avtar Singh had abducted Andrabi in March 1996 and 19 days later his body was recovered from river Jhelum.
