Azamgarh (UP) | A man who allegedly shot dead his wife and two priests at his home in Azamgarh was killed in an encounter with police early Wednesday after a nearly seven-hour standoff during which he allegedly threatened to kill his children, officials said.

The accused, identified as Arvind Singh of Shambhupur village in Ahraula area, died during treatment around 3.30 am, Senior Superintendent of Police Anil Kumar said.

According to police, Singh had returned home around 6 pm on Tuesday when a religious ritual was underway. His wife Babita Singh (32) was conducting the ritual along with priests Mahendra Pathak (60) and Akhilesh Mishra (50).

Singh allegedly questioned the priests about the ritual and demanded their Aadhaar cards, following which an argument broke out. He then allegedly took out his licensed pistol and opened fire, killing his wife and the two priests.

After the shooting, Singh locked himself inside a room with his three children. Police teams from eight stations surrounded the house and senior officers, including the SSP, DIG Sunil Kumar Singh and Varanasi ADG Navin Arora, tried for several hours to persuade him to surrender, officials said.

Police said Singh repeatedly threatened to kill the children and also fired at them, injuring one child, who was admitted to hospital in a serious condition. The other two children were stated to be out of danger.