Former Punjab Inspector General of Police Amar Singh Chahal allegedly shot himself at his residence in Patiala on Sunday, leaving him critically injured. He was immediately rushed to a private hospital in the city, where he remains under treatment, with doctors closely monitoring his condition.
Police officials said a note was recovered from the spot in which Chahal reportedly referred to severe financial distress stemming from an alleged cyber fraud. According to preliminary information, he claimed to have lost around Rs 8.10 crore after being duped by online fraudsters. Authorities, however, stressed that all angles of the case are being examined and that their immediate focus is on saving his life.
Sources said a detailed 12-page letter written by Chahal has surfaced, addressed to Punjab Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav. In the letter, described as his “last appeal,” Chahal allegedly outlined how he was targeted through WhatsApp and Telegram groups operating under the name ‘F-777 DBS Wealth Equity Research Group’, which falsely claimed an association with DBS Bank and its top management.
According to the contents of the letter, the group allegedly enticed investors by promising exceptionally high returns through stock trading, IPO allotments, over-the-counter trades and so-called quantitative funds. Chahal claimed that fake dashboards were used to show inflated profits, gradually building trust and encouraging him to invest increasingly large sums of money.
He further alleged that after showing him notional profits, the operators pressured him to reinvest and later demanded additional payments in the form of service fees, taxes and other charges to enable withdrawals. Despite making all payments through bank transfers, he wrote that his requests to withdraw funds were repeatedly denied.
In the letter, Chahal reportedly described the fraud as highly organised, involving multiple individuals and bank accounts, and urged authorities to constitute a Special Investigation Team or hand the probe over to a specialised central agency to trace the money trail. He also expressed deep emotional and financial distress, apologised to his family and colleagues, and stated that he held no one responsible for his decision except the alleged scammers.
Confirming the incident, SP City Patiala Palwinder Singh Cheema said police acted swiftly after being alerted by Chahal’s friends, who informed them that he had shared a message indicating he might attempt suicide. He said senior officers rushed to the residence, found Chahal injured and ensured he was taken to hospital without delay.
Cheema said saving Chahal’s life remains the top priority and that police are extending all possible assistance to the family. He added that the note recovered from the scene is being examined carefully and that a formal FIR will be registered based on its contents.
Police have also confirmed that they are investigating both the firing incident and the alleged financial fraud by analysing the suicide note, bank transactions and available digital evidence. Chahal had earlier figured among the accused in the 2015 police firing cases linked to the anti-sacrilege protests in Faridkot.
