Categories: Indiana News

Indy Sikh temple shooting suspect arrested in Ohio for arson insurance scheme

INDIANAPOLIS — The suspect in last month’s Sikh temple shooting has been arrested in Ohio, now also charged with arson after police say he tried to burn down his Indianapolis home to collect over $400,000 in insurance money.

Gurpreet Singh, a 22-year-old Indianapolis resident, was recently arrested in Ohio after being charged in Marion County court with two counts of felony arson. Singh was also charged last month with three felonies for a February shooting at an Indianapolis place of worship.

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Gurpreet Singh mugshot

Sikh temple shooting

Indianapolis Metro police officers were called around 12:45 p.m. on Feb. 16 to the Sikh Satsang of Indianapolis. The Gurdwara – a Sikh place of worship – is on the city’s southeast side in the 10000 block of Southeastern Avenue.

Upon arrival, officers found a man in the temple’s restroom suffering from a gunshot wound to the hip. The man was taken to Eskenazi Hospital in good condition. He was later told the bullet had broken his hip.

The victim told police that around two years ago he had done construction on Gurpreet Singh’s house but said he was never paid the $12,000 he was owed, with Singh constantly making excuses for why he couldn’t pay. The man said he had let it go and didn’t push the issue.

The man said recently he’d heard Singh had been talking behind his back and decided to confront Singh about it. At church, the man reportedly asked Singh to meet with him in the restroom to have a talk.

Singh allegedly went with the man into the restroom and then pulled out a gun, pointing it at the victim’s chest. The victim said he pushed Singh back before he fired one shot, striking the victim’s hip. The man said Singh then hit him in the face and said “I’ll kill you.”

Police respond to Sikh temple

Police spoke with a man who said he’d heard a gunshot and saw someone he knew to be Gurpreet Singh exit the restroom and say “he was pushed so he had to shoot.”

The witness said he tried to detain Singh but was unable to hold him as he fled.

Officers looked inside the restroom and found a single 9mm shell casing on the floor along with two live 9mm rounds.

Two days later, officers were granted a search warrant to Singh’s southeast side home. During the search, police reportedly found a 9mm Springfield Armory handgun, shell casings and live rounds. A person living at Singh’s home also told police that their truck had been stolen.

Court documents indicate that Singh was not at home but that felony battery charges were filed against him. Meanwhile, other detectives had already been tracking him for a different alleged crime.

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Fire, arson investigation

The arson charges filed against Singh stem from an April 2024 fire on Indy’s southeast side. Fire crews were called around 11:15 p.m. on April 2 to the 5700 block of Tart Boulevard for a residence fire. The home that was burning was owned by Singh.

Upon arrival, IFD said crews found a heavy fire through the roof and determined that there were no occupants inside. The blaze was reportedly under control 50 minutes later and fire investigation units were called to the scene.

Fire investigators came to the scene and tried to speak with Singh, but his family members said he was too upset to talk. A quick initial investigation determined that the fire caused around $310,500 in total damage.

IFD said crews later found the house had no electrical, gas or structural issues and determined the cause of the fire was incendiary. They also concluded Singh had intentionally set the fire in an act of arson, even going so far as to remove all the house’s smoke detectors.

Court documents filed against Singh claim he started the blaze in order to collect insurance money on the home – which was valued at $430,000. In the end, officials estimate he instead ended up causing around $480,000 in damage.

On Monday, Singh was charged in Marion Superior Court 29 with two counts of felony arson.

Arrest in Ohio

Singh was reportedly arrested on Feb. 24 in Dayton, Ohio, for driving a stolen car. He now faces the following charges in Marion County for both the alleged shooting and arson.

  • Battery by Means of a Deadly Weapon – Level 5 Felony
  • Pointing a Firearm at Another – Level 6 Felony
  • Battery Resulting in Bodily Injury – Class A Misdemeanor
  • Arson Damage by Fire – Level 4 Felony
  • Arson With Intent to Defraud – Level 6 Felony

Online court records show Singh is being held in jail without bond until an initial hearing in his arson case Wednesday in front of Judge Charles Miller. Once bond has been set and paid, Singh will have to pay another $20,000 cash for a Home Detention with GPS hold for his other charges.

An initial hearing in Singh’s shooting case was held on March 20 in Marion Superior Court 29. A jury trial is now scheduled to begin on May 20, also in front of Judge Miller.

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