73-year-old man shot dead while sleeping at his home in Greater Noida

the elderly man, Shyam Singh, was sleeping on a cot in the verandah of his home when an unidentified suspect allegedly shot him in the head

A 73-year-old man was allegedly shot dead on Thursday night while he was asleep at his residence in Kasna area of Greater Noida, senior police officers said on Friday.

Upon inquiry, it was found that the deceased’s 17-year-old grandson had heard a loud bang, akin to a gunshot, in the middle of the night. (Representative image)

According to police, the elderly man, Shyam Singh, was sleeping on a cot in the verandah of his home when an unidentified suspect allegedly shot him in the head. The incident was reported to the police by his son on Friday morning, following which a team from Kasna police station reached the spot.

“Around 7am on Friday, the Kasna police station received information that Shyam Singh, a resident of Salempur Gurjar village in Kasna area of Greater Noida, was found dead by his son Praveen Singh at their home. Immediately, a police team reached the spot and found that Singh was shot in the head while sleeping on a cot in the verandah. The body was immediately taken into custody and forensic teams were called in to inspect the site,” said Ashok Kumar, additional deputy commissioner of police, Greater Noida.

Singh was a farmer while his son Praveen runs a departmental store in a nearby locality, police said.

Upon inquiry, it was found that the deceased’s 17-year-old grandson had heard a loud bang, akin to a gunshot, in the middle of the night.

“Singh was sleeping in the verandah of his house near his farm, along with his grandson. Singh’s sister and wife were asleep inside the home, while his son was sleeping in another room inside the house. Singh’s grandson told the police that he woke up to a loud noise in the middle of the night. However, he did not pay much heed to it and went back to sleep,” said the ADCP.

In the morning, the family woke up and Praveen discovered his father lying dead on the cot, following which he informed the police.

“The post-mortem examination has been done, and the cause of death is a gunshot wound to the head. The body was handed over to the family and the last rites were performed. Further, the family has submitted a complaint to the police, suspecting the role of six extended family members in the incident as Singh had a property dispute with them,” said the ADCP.

“Accordingly, an FIR has been registered against them under sections of murder of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita,” said the ADCP, adding that the names of the suspects in the FIR will not be revealed as that may hamper the police investigation.

“The six people named in the FIR are being questioned, while other angles are also being investigated by the police. The culprits will be nabbed soon,” added the officer.