A 57-year-old IAS official allegedly committed suicide by hanging after firing two rounds from an airgun at his wife in the early hours of Friday in Maharashtra's Solapur district, police said. Vijaykumar Bhagwat Pawar hanged himself after shooting at and injuring his wife Sonali in Marvade in Mangalwedha town in Solapur, over 380 kilometres from Mumbai, an official said.

The Indian Administrative Service official was posted in the state's Skill Development department and had previously served as collector of Nandurbar district. "Neighbours heard shouting and gun shots from the Pawar household following which they alerted police. The couple was rushed to the hospital where doctors declared Pawar dead on arrival. Sonali Pawar has sustained bullet injuries and is undergoing treatment," the official said. "We have recovered two empty rounds and one live airgun cartridge. A probe has been instituted to find out what caused the incident," he added.