Delhi: Youth injured in accidental firing; friend arrested with pistol, knives

New Delhi, Aug 20 (PTI) A 20-year-old man was arrested after his friend sustained a gunshot wound in an incident of accidental firing in northwest Delhi's Rohini area, the police said on Wednesday.

The victim, identified as Akash, falsely tried to implicate Ajay, with whom he had quarrelled a day earlier, the police said, adding that he was riding a motorcycle with his friend Himanshu alias Lalu as a pillion rider when the firing took place.

"A PCR call was received around 4.28 pm on Tuesday reporting a gunshot injury near Ganda Nala in Sector-24, Rohini. The caller, Akash, a resident of Rohini, initially claimed that he had been shot in the waist by Ajay," Deputy Commissioner of Police (Rohini) Rajeev Ranjan said.

Akash was rushed to the Babu Jagjivan Ram Memorial Hospital (BSA). Based on his initial statement, the case was transferred to the Shahbad Dairy Police Station.

However, upon further verification, the victim disclosed that the incident occurred at JJ Colony, Sector-24, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Budh Vihar Police Station. CCTV footage from the area later confirmed that it was a case of accidental firing, the officer said.

During questioning, the victim revealed that he was riding a motorcycle with his friend Himanshu when the firing occurred.

Himanshu was carrying a pistol, which allegedly kept sliding in its slot when the firearm went off near a speed breaker, injuring Akash in his lower back, the DCP added.

To mislead the police, Himanshu allegedly asked the victim to falsely implicate Ajay in the case.

Following the revelation, a case under relevant sections of the BNS and provisions of the Arms Act was registered at the Budh Vihar Police Station.

Himanshu was arrested later at night. From his possession, the police recovered a pistol of 0.9 mm bore with a magazine containing three live rounds and two button-actuated knives.

According to the police, Himanshu is uneducated, a drug addict, and a repeat offender. He has been involved in four previous cases of robbery, three registered at the K N Katju Police Station and one at Samaypur Badli in 2023.

Further investigation is underway in the matter. PTI SSJ MPL MPL