Former Indian Police Service officer Amar Singh Chahal allegedly shot himself on Monday in Patiala using the rifle of his security guard, triggering investigations into both the firing incident and a large scale cyber fraud he described in a note recovered by police
Chahal, a former Punjab Inspector General of Police, sustained a gunshot injury to the chest and was rushed to a hospital, where his condition was described as extremely critical due to massive blood loss.
Doctors said, following emergency surgery lasting nearly three hours the bullet lodged in his lungs was successfully removed and he remains under close medical observation
Police said a 12 page handwritten note was recovered from the spot in which Chahal claimed he had been cheated of ₹8.10 crore by cyber criminals posing as wealth equity advisors, addressing the letter to Punjab Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav and expressing deep distress over financial loss and emotional trauma
According to the note, the alleged fraudsters operated through WhatsApp and Telegram groups under the name F 777 DBS Wealth Equity Research Group, falsely claiming links with DBS Bank and its top management, while promising exceptionally high returns through stock trading, IPO allotments, over the counter trades and so called quantitative funds
Chahal alleged that the group created fake digital dashboards showing inflated profits to gain investor confidence, gradually persuading him to invest large sums, and later pressured him to reinvest earnings while demanding hefty payments under the guise of service fees, taxes and other charges to enable withdrawals
Despite making all transactions through bank transfers, he claimed that no withdrawals were ever processed, alleging that the scam involved multiple individuals and bank accounts operating in a highly organised manner, and urged authorities to form a Special Investigation Team or hand the case to a central agency such as the CBI to trace the money trail
In the note, the former police officer apologised to his family and colleagues, stating that he felt devastated and ashamed, and requested that any recovered money be passed on to his family to help repay debts incurred during the alleged fraud, while asserting that no one other than the scammers was responsible for his actions
Police confirmed that Chahal stated he used his gunman’s rifle as he did not possess a personal weapon, adding that investigations are underway to verify the contents of the note, examine bank records, and analyse digital evidence related to the alleged cyber scam
Chahal was previously among the accused in the 2015 police firing cases linked to anti sacrilege protests in Faridkot, officials noted, as authorities continue to probe both his condition and the claims made in the recovered letter
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