Gandhinagar canal murder: Accused ‘Psycho Killer’ killed in police encounter

Vipul Parmar, the murder accused infamously dubbed the 'psycho killer', was shot dead in a police encounter on Wednesday morning after he allegedly opened fire at a team of officers during a crime-scene reconstruction near Adalaj, on the outskirts of Ahmedabad.

According to officials, the Ahmedabad City Crime Branch had arrested Parmar on September 23 from Rajkot in connection with a series of brutal killings that had triggered panic across parts of the city. Late on Tuesday night, he was handed over to the Gandhinagar Local Crime Branch (LCB) for further investigation.

On Wednesday, the Gandhinagar LCB, along with the Adalaj police, took Parmar to one of the crime spots for a reconstruction of events. Preliminary reports indicate that during the exercise, Parmar allegedly grabbed a service revolver from one of the police officers and fired a couple of rounds in an attempt to escape.

In retaliation, Gandhinagar LCB personnel opened fire. Parmar was shot and died on the spot. Early information suggests that a few police officials sustained injuries during the exchange of fire and were rushed to hospital for treatment.

A senior officer said the team had first tried to overpower Parmar and repeatedly warned him to surrender, but his sudden attack and use of the revolver left them with no option but to fire back.

Parmar, arrested for multiple murders and described in local media as the 'psycho killer', had been at the centre of one of the most sensational criminal investigations in Gujarat in recent months.