Teenager shot dead while shooting reels with handgun

PTI, KOLKATA, NOV 22, 2024 : A class eight student was killed after a bullet pierced his skull when he was shooting reels with a handgun in West Bengal's Malda district, police said on Friday. The incident happened in the Kaliachak area of the district on Thursday afternoon when the handgun, the teenager was using to shoot the video at his house, accidentally fired, a senior police officer said.

Safiul Islam (13) was shooting the video on the roof of his residence at Srirampur under the jurisdiction of Kaliachak police station when a bullet from the 7mm pistol went off and pierced his skull. The minor's neighbours and family members rushed to the roof on hearing the sound of a gunshot and took him to a hospital, where the doctors declared Islam dead.

"We are trying to trace the source of the gun, which was an improvised pistol having sophisticated features," the officer said. Another minor, stated to be a friend of the deceased, was detained by police. He reportedly told the police that the deceased was addicted to mobile handsets and was making reels when the accidental firing took place, the officer said.

It was initially believed that Saiful was alone when the incident occurred, but interrogations revealed that the detained minor was also present there. He fled the spot amid chaos after the incident, the police officer added.