The soldier, who reportedly retired in 2014, was armed with a 315 bore rifle.
Uttar Pradesh:
A former soldier held his family and neighbours, including four children, hostage for over 20 hours and fired at them indiscriminately at his home in Uttar Pradesh's Etah before he was caught by over 60 commandos and policemen.
Avdesh Yadav held his wife, 18-year-old daughter, 15-year-old son and father along with two from his landlord's family captive at gunpoint for hours on Monday. In the neighbouring houses, people stayed indoors in terror.
If neighbours or the police tried to approach or close in, he would fire.
Frighteningly for his family and neighbours, he would start firing in short bursts while shouting that he would give "cover fire" as "enemies had surrounded" them.
Policemen came in groups and tried to talk to Yadav but retreated quickly when he fired.
In the early hours of Tuesday, commandos and policemen quietly accessed the house, located in a bustling neighbourhood with narrow lanes, using the terrace. The police were able to establish contact with the teen children and ask them to hide his gun. When the children confirmed that this was done, the police team entered the room on the ground floor.
The soldier, who reportedly retired in 2014, was armed with a 315 bore rifle. The police said he worked as a security guard in Delhi and appeared to be "mentally unsound".
According to neighbours, he had arrived in Etah on Sunday by bus from Delhi. His family had driven to the capital to fetch him after he allegedly fired shots at his rented home, and the landlord called them in panic.
The family has been quoted in reports as saying he had to be hospitalized when he showed similar behavior about a decade ago.
The police, defending the time taken in catching Yadav, said they were being careful as a man had recently shot his wife and brother after taking them hostage, and later shot himself.
Avdesh Yadav held his wife, 18-year-old daughter, 15-year-old son and father along with two from his landlord's family captive at gunpoint for hours on Monday. In the neighbouring houses, people stayed indoors in terror.
If neighbours or the police tried to approach or close in, he would fire.
Frighteningly for his family and neighbours, he would start firing in short bursts while shouting that he would give "cover fire" as "enemies had surrounded" them.
Policemen came in groups and tried to talk to Yadav but retreated quickly when he fired.
In the early hours of Tuesday, commandos and policemen quietly accessed the house, located in a bustling neighbourhood with narrow lanes, using the terrace. The police were able to establish contact with the teen children and ask them to hide his gun. When the children confirmed that this was done, the police team entered the room on the ground floor.
The soldier, who reportedly retired in 2014, was armed with a 315 bore rifle. The police said he worked as a security guard in Delhi and appeared to be "mentally unsound".
According to neighbours, he had arrived in Etah on Sunday by bus from Delhi. His family had driven to the capital to fetch him after he allegedly fired shots at his rented home, and the landlord called them in panic.
The family has been quoted in reports as saying he had to be hospitalized when he showed similar behavior about a decade ago.
The police, defending the time taken in catching Yadav, said they were being careful as a man had recently shot his wife and brother after taking them hostage, and later shot himself.
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