Covid effect: Man coughs while playing ludo, shot at by neighbour

The victim, Prashant, received a bullet injury in his right thigh and was admitted to Kailash Hospital Greater Noida, the police said.

Amid growing fears over the spread of Covid-19, a 27-year-old man was allegedly shot at by a neighbour after he coughed while playing ludo with his friends at Daya Nagar village in Jarcha, Greater Noida, on Tuesday night.

The victim, Prashant, received a bullet injury in his right thigh and was admitted to Kailash Hospital Greater Noida, the police said.

The suspect, Jaiveer alias Gullu, who allegedly fired at the victim after an argument triggered by his coughing, managed to escape after the incident, which took place at 10pm, they said, adding that Prashant’s friends escaped narrowly during the firing.

Prashant said that the incident took place when he was playing ludo with his three friends at a neighbouring temple.

“We were playing ludo when my neighbour Gullu reached the spot. He was watching us . Suddenly I coughed and this irked Gullu. He said that I had coughed at him deliberately and that I was spreading coronavirus. I pleaded that the coughing was spontaneous, but he did not listen to me. He took out a countrymade gun and opened fire. I received a bullet injury in my thigh and collapsed on the ground,” the victim said.

Prashant’s father Karan Singh filed a complaint against Gullu and his two brothers Manveer and Bhoora. However, the police said that the suspect’s brothers were not present at the spot at the time of firing, and they are investigating the matter from all angles.

Rajesh Kumar Singh, deputy commissioner of police, Greater Noida, said a team from Jarcha police station reached the spot after receiving a call about the incident. “The victim was admitted to Kailash Hospital Greater Noida. The police have registered a case of attempt to murder under Section 307 of IPC against the suspect and launched a search operation for his arrest,” Singh said.

The police said it appears the suspect was drunk at the time of the incident.

Kailash Hospital spokesperson said that the victim is in the intensive care unit (ICU). “The patient was brought to the hospital at 11pm. He is responding to the medical treatment and he is out of danger. We are stabilizing his blood pressure and then we will conduct the operation and remove the bullet from his body,” the spokesperson said.