PATIALA: Former Punjab police IG Amar Singh Chahal (66) is battling for life after an allegedly self-inflicted gunshot to the chest at his Patiala house on Monday. Police say he shot himself with his gunman’s licensed revolver.This is the second such incident involving an IPS officer in the region. In Oct, Haryana ADG Y Puran Kumar had shot himself dead with his gunman’s pistol at his Chandigarh house.A 12-page handwritten note found on the scene details how Chahal was cheated of Rs 8.1 crore in a “highly sophisticated” online investment fraud that operated through WhatsApp and Telegram under the name “F-777 DBS Wealth Equity Research Group”. It falsely claimed regulatory approvals and links with well-known financial institutions, the note says.Patiala SP Palwinder Singh Cheema said one of Chahal’s friends, after getting a message from him, alerted police that he may have attempted suicide. A police team rushed to his house around 1.45pm and took him to hospital, say police sources.“Chahal is undergoing treatment and his condition is critical,” said Patiala SSP Varun Sharma. Police said Chahal, a 1990-batch IPS officer, had not filed any complaint regarding the alleged fraud.The note appealed for protection and assistance for his family and requested that creditors refrain from pressuring them. Investigators are tracing the alleged transactions and examining the digital evidence Chahal cited.
