A bird hunting expedition by three youngsters, all minors, using a country-made weapon turned tragic when one of them, a 13-year-old, was shot dead by his friend.
The shocking incident took place at Lal Singh tanda near Tirumalapur in Kulkacherla mandal in Rangareddy district on Monday. The victim was M Omkar, class VIII student of a government school and resident of Lal Singh tanda.
Police are yet to ascertain whether the death was the result of an accident or a deliberate act. One of the versions they are examining is that the three jostled to use the gun and it went off.
According to the police, the three youngsters set out at 11 am to shoot birds in the forest near their village. They took with them a weapon belonging to Ramulu Naik, father of the 16-year-old in whose hands the gun went off. (The names of Omkar’s friends are being withheld as they are minors).
After going into the forest, Omkar and his friends started quarelling to use the weapon. One of them is said to have tried to snatch the weapon. In the jostling, the the 16-year-old, a class nine student, is said to have pulled the trigger, Chevella DSP K Silpavalli told Express.
The 16-year-old is absconding. Silpavalli said the bullet pierced Omkar’s back and exited through his chest and he died instantaneously. Almost two hours after the incident took place, local villagers who happend to pass by spotted the body and alerted the police. The Kulakcharla police shifted the body to a government hospital for the post-mortem procedure.
“The weapon is a country-made gun that is used for hunting birds. It was procured illegally,’’ said Ranga Reddy SP B Rajkumari.
The father, Sriramulu Naik, of the accused juvenile has been taken into custody for questioning. Naik has reportedly told the police that he obtained the weapon from unknown people from Bihar to hunt rabbits and wild boar. Police are likely to register a case against him. They have also registered cases against the 16-year-old boy under Section 302 (murder) and Arms act on the basis of a complaint lodged by victim’s family member Pandulal.