THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Varkala police probing Tuesday’s firing incident near Darjeeling Restaurant at the cliffside is focusing on the source of the country-made gun that was used in the episode.
On Tuesday, Shibin Philip, a handicrafts shop owner, allegedly fired at Shyam Kumar, the owner of Darjeeling Restaurant, with a country-made gun in a suspected fallout of a personal grudge.
Kumar escaped unhurt and Philip was taken into custody. The police suspect that the gun has Bihar links.
According to Varkala Sub-Inspector G Praiju, efforts are underway to find the source of the country-made gun.
“Our preliminary probe reveals that the gun was imported from Bihar,” the police officer said. “Shibin had some connections in Bihar and this helped him to make a gun. However, we will also probe the involvement of Bihar and other north India-based networks in making country-made guns as per local people’s needs.”
The incident took place around 7.45 pm on Tuesday when Kumar was standing in front of his restaurant. Philip charged at Kumar and allegedly shot him, but the latter managed to duck. Then, Philip reportedly pointed the gun at passers-by and tried to flee the scene.
Following this, the locals sought the help of the tourism police at Varkala beach to trace Philip. Though the police chased Philip, he managed to hide inside a high-rise near the beach. Soon enough, the police spotted Philip on the rooftop. When Philip realised that he would be caught, he allegedly threw away the gun. The police have recovered the weapon and sent it for forensic examination.
The police said there was long-standing enmity between Philip and Kumar. Two years ago, they were involved in a heated argument during a birthday party, which later turned into a scuffle. After frequent brawls, Philip allegedly hatched a plan to kill Kumar. Philip has been sent to judicial custody for 14 days.