Mumbai: An urgent call about a gunshot at the bustling Zaveri Bazaar market on Friday evening sent the LT Marg police into a panic. A police team rushed to the market only to find that an armed security guard accidentally shot himself. The guard, who is currently under treatment, has been booked for negligence under the Arms Act.
According to the LT Marg police, the call was received at around 5.50pm on Friday that a gunshot had been heard in the JMC House building in Zaveri Bazaar, which houses several jewellery stores and manufacturing units.
The market is the hub of the gold and silver jewellery trade in the city, with jewellery worth crores stored there. As a result, it is also a significant target for robbers.
The information was relayed to a patrolling unit closest to the spot, which rushed to the building. Alarmed occupants of the commercial building were standing outside when the police arrived.
“Our team found a security guard employed with a private security services provider, sitting on the stairs with blood flowing from his left thigh. A single-bore rifle was lying on the stairs beside him. Our personnel tried to arrange for an ambulance but it was too far away and the guard, identified as Rais Saifuddin (30), was losing blood fast. Hence, he was taken to the Bombay Hospital in the patrolling vehicle,” said an officer with the LT Marg police.
After admitting Saifuddin, the police went back to the building and made inquiries about the jewellers there.
“Saifuddin decided to sit down on the stairs and the rifle went off, possibly because it was loaded and the safety catch was off. The barrel was pointed upwards in a slanting position and hence, Saifuddin was hit in his thigh,” said an officer who was part of the responding team.
The police verified this with Saifuddin’s colleague and also checked Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) camera footage, which also supported the sequence of events as narrated by the witnesses.
Based on these inquiries, the police have booked Saifuddin with endangering life due to rash and negligent conduct under the Indian Penal Code, along with relevant sections of the Arms Act. Saifuddin has undergone two surgeries and is still under treatment, officers said.