‘Reel gone wrong’ for Delhi man as he ‘accidentally’ shoots himself dead

The deceased's friend, who was behind the camera, had recorded the incident on his mobile phone and forwarded the video to family members immediately after.

A 28-year-old man, who was allegedly recording a video for social media while handling a gun, died after he accidentally shot himself in east Delhi, said police on Tuesday. His cousin, who owned the licensed pistol and was filming the incident, has been arrested in the case.

Pawan (in pic) and his cousin, identified as Himanshu (31), had been making a video at home of Pawan loading the gun when he accidentally shot himself. (X/ Screengrab)

Police identified the victim as Pawan Kumar, a businessman, and the incident took place at his residence in Dallupura village, near New Ashok Nagar, in the afternoon on Monday.

The police first received information from Dharamshila Narayana Superspeciality Hospital, Vasundhara Enclave, that it had admitted a patient with a gunshot injury, said deputy commissioner of police (east) Rajiv Kumar. Kumar was unconscious and had a gunshot wound on the left side of his chest when he arrived at the hospital, where he was declared dead.

A preliminary investigation showed that Pawan and his cousin, identified as Himanshu (31), had been making a video at home of Pawan loading the gun when he accidentally shot himself. Himanshu, who was behind the camera, had recorded the incident on his mobile phone. He also forwarded the video to family members immediately after.

“His phone was seized and scanned. The video recording of the incident was found stored on the phone. Himanshu disclosed that he was recording Kumar loading the pistol for a social media reel. But Kumar accidentally shot himself dead,” the DCP said.

A video of what appears to be the incident also emerged on social media on Tuesday.

In it, Pawan is seen with a gun tucked in the left front pocket of his trousers. He pulls out the weapon and loads a cartridge in the magazine. As he cocks the weapon, a man, presumably Himanshu, warns him not to “fire”. Pawan then uses his right hand to point the gun at his own chest. Within seconds, the weapon discharges and Pawan collapses on the floor. Himanshu can be heard yelling, “What have you done?” The entire clip only lasts 20 seconds.

HT could not independently verify the authenticity of the video.

According to the DCP, before cocking the loaded pistol and pulling the trigger, Kumar had made two-three similar firing tests with the pistol but without loading it with a bullet.

A case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder and firing was registered under section 105 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the relevant sections of the Arms Act has been registered at the New Ashok Nagar police station. The 31-year-old cousin was arrested on Tuesday from east Delhi and his pistol used in the incident has been seized along with 10 cartridges, said the DCP.