Former IPS officer Amar Singh Chahal allegedly attempted suicide in Patiala on Monday after suffering massive financial losses in what he described as an elaborate cyber fraud. He was rushed to a hospital in a critical state, police officials confirmed.

Investigators recovered a note from the scene in which Chahal stated that he had been deceived of approximately ₹8.10 crore by fraudsters posing as professional wealth management advisors. According to the police, the contents of the note indicate that the former officer had fallen victim to a well-organised financial scam.

In the note addressed to Punjab Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav, Chahal claimed that the perpetrators operated through WhatsApp and Telegram under the banner of “F-777 DBS Wealth Equity Research Group,” falsely projecting themselves as being associated with DBS Bank and its chief executive. He alleged that investors were enticed with promises of exceptionally high returns through stock trading, IPO investments, OTC deals, and so-called quantitative funds.

Chahal wrote that the scammers used fabricated online dashboards to display inflated profits, gradually earning the trust of participants and encouraging them to invest increasingly large amounts. He further claimed that after reinvesting the supposed gains, he was asked to pay large sums toward service charges, taxes, and other fees to access withdrawals, which never materialised despite payments being made through legitimate banking channels.

The former police officer alleged that the fraud involved several individuals and multiple bank accounts, suggesting a highly coordinated operation. In his note, he urged authorities to form a Special Investigation Team or transfer the probe to a central agency to track the money trail and identify those responsible.

Expressing severe emotional distress and financial devastation, Chahal apologised to his family and professional peers, stating that he felt humiliated and broken. He emphasised that no individual other than the alleged scammers should be held responsible for his actions.

Police officials said that they are investigating both the firing incident and the alleged financial fraud, examining the note, bank records, and digital evidence. Chahal had earlier been named among the accused in the 2015 police firing cases linked to anti-sacrilege protests in Faridkot.