Adalaj canal shootout: Gandhinagar Police say ‘psycho killer’ fired at officers, vehicle while fleeing in handcuffs

Gandhinagar Range Inspector General of Police (IGP) Virendra Yadav on Wednesday said that murder accused Vipul Parmar—dubbed the ‘psycho killer’ in local reports—was shot dead in police firing after he snatched an officer’s service weapon and opened fire at a crime-scene reconstruction near Adalaj canal.

Briefing the media at the SP’s office, Yadav said that on September 20 Parmar had allegedly stabbed to death a man named Vaibhav and injured a woman friend near the Ambapur canal in Adalaj. Following a joint operation by the Ahmedabad Crime Branch, the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and Gandhinagar Police, Parmar was arrested and taken into custody for investigation.

After a routine medical examination, the Gandhinagar Local Crime Branch (LCB) took Parmar, under lawful remand and in the presence of independent panch witnesses, to the Ambapur canal crime spot around 5.15 pm on Wednesday to recreate the sequence of events.

According to Yadav, Parmar—still wearing handcuffs—suddenly grabbed the service revolver of PSI Patadia and began firing while attempting to escape. “He fired at our personnel and even at a police vehicle. Constable Rajendrasinh was hit in his left hand,” the IGP said.

LCB officers returned fire in self-defence. Parmar was struck in the thigh and the back and collapsed on the spot. The injured constable was rushed to a private hospital for treatment.

Police immediately summoned a 108 ambulance. “The medical team declared Parmar dead at the scene,” Yadav said. Senior officers and a team from the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) subsequently arrived to conduct a detailed examination. A post-mortem will be carried out as part of the statutory procedure

Preliminary findings show that the weapon snatched was PSI Patadia’s revolver, but the exact number of rounds fired by Parmar and by the police will be confirmed only after forensic analysis.

“Parmar fired at the door and the front portion of the police vehicle while running. Our personnel first attempted to overpower him and repeatedly warned him, but he continued to fire,” Yadav added.

The IGP also confirmed that Parmar’s family members have been informed of his death.

Police sources said the incident will be subject to a magistrate’s inquiry, as mandated in all police encounters, even as investigations continue into the original murder case that led to Parmar’s arrest.