23-year-old Delhi man dies of accidental gunshot while clicking selfies

A 23-year-old man died of a gunshot wound when he and his friend were taking photos with a pistol in outer Delhi’s Vijay Vihar on Thursday, the police said. Several photos of the two friends posing with the weapon were found on the mobile phone of the dead man, Vijay Singh, prompting the police to suspect the case was similar to the one reported from South Delhi’s Sarita Vihar last week.

On March 8, a teacher was “accidentally” shot dead — allegedly by his minor cousin — while posing with a licensed revolver. In the latest instance, the investigators will await the forensic report to conclude whether this was an accidental firing, a self-inflicted wound or murder, said Rajneesh Gupta, deputy commissioner of police (Rohini). The survivor fled after Singh’s death and remained untraceable through Friday. The DCP identified the absconder as Monu, a local resident. The police were yet to verify the backgrounds of the two men, and how they were in possession of a gun for which neither had a licence.

According to Singh’s 12-year-old cousin, Monu arrived at their home with the pistol around 9 pm on Thursday. “Monu went straight to Vijay’s room. I was in the living room, but the conversations between Monu and Vijay suggested they were playing with the pistol and taking photos,” said the girl. Within minutes, she heard a loud bang and rushed into the room to find Singh lying dead with a wound behind his neck. Immediately, Monu pushed her away and ran away from the house. Vijay was rushed to a hospital, but was pronounced dead on arrival.