Guwahati, May 2: An alleged "family dispute" culminated in a 40-year-old Assam police jawan shooting his wife four times with his service carbine before committing suicide at his in-laws' home in North Guwahati this morning.

Lance naik Jogen Nath, who was posted as the personal security officer of BTC executive member Ganesh Kochari, came to his father-in-law's house at Madhyamgram, under North Guwahati police station, last evening. He shot his wife, Jaba, around 4.45 this morning (see chart). Madhyamgram village is 25km north of the city.

The couple's relationship had been going through a rough patch and Jaba had been living at her parents' home with their 11-year-old daughter for the past few years. Nath's daughter studies in Class V.

Police said Nath fired four bullets at his wife and another four at himself about 40-minutes later. Police found two more empty cartridges at the scene. Nath's daughter was sleeping in his mother-in-law's room.

Nath was posted in the armed branch of police in Baksa district, under the Bodoland Territorial Council.

"The police team which reached the spot within 20-25 minutes saw Nath coming out of the room and announcing that he had killed his wife. Our police team appealed to him to surrender and lay down the weapon but he did not listen," Kamrup superintendent of police Raunak Ali Hazarika told The Telegraph.

The incident has left neighbours shocked while the families of both Nath and Jaba have levelled charges.

Jaba's family alleged that she had left Nath's house at Lokhra (in Guwahati) because he physically and mentally tortured her over a long period of time. Nath's family denied the charges and alleged that she had an affair.

"He used to visit his in-laws' house to meet his wife and daughter. He told us that his wife wanted a divorce and that she was having an affair with another person. Probably this left him disappointed," a family member of Nath said.

"The notes that we found in Nath's house and at the spot suggest that the couple were having problems for a long time. His wife had had met the Baksa superintendent of police 10-15 days ago and the SP had promised to sit with the couple soon to discuss the matter," Hazarika said.

"We have registered a suo motu murder case as neither family filed any FIR. Since the assailant is no more, we are examining the papers for evidence regarding the incident and the allegations and counter-allegations about the reasons that led him to take such extreme step," the SP said.

The bodies were handed over to the two families after post mortem.