Birthday bash turns into gunfire scare in Gorai; reels land 26-year-old, friends in police case

MUMBAI: Residents of Gorai were jolted awake by loud gunshot sounds just after midnight on Wednesday, only to discover that the rounds were fired as part of a birthday celebration on a public road

MUMBAI: Residents of Gorai were jolted awake by loud gunshot sounds just after midnight on Wednesday, only to discover that the rounds were fired as part of a birthday celebration on a public road. The Borivali police on Thursday booked 26-year-old Akash Ramkripal Gupta and his friends for endangering life or personal safety of others by allegedly firing rounds in the air using a BB airgun during the birthday celebrations in Gorai.

A BB airgun is a type of air gun that fires small, round metallic spheres, known as BBs, usually measuring 4.5 mm (.177 caliber) and made of steel and can cause serious and permanent injuries. Because they fire hard steel balls at high velocities, they can easily pierce human flesh, shatter eyes, and require emergency surgical removal.

According to the police, Gupta had invited around 10 friends to celebrate his birthday shortly after midnight. The group allegedly created a loud commotion on the road before Gupta parked his Innova in the middle of the street, obstructing the movement of passersby.

Police said Gupta then cut his birthday cake on the bonnet of the vehicle. Moments later, his friend Jatin Navin Sharma allegedly handed his air gun to another friend, Vijesh Upadhyay, who fired two rounds into the air.

The gunshots triggered panic in the neighbourhood, with the loud blasts disturbing the peace in the otherwise quiet residential area, police said. To make matters worse, the group allegedly recorded the firing and uploaded reels of the incident on social media, drawing the attention of the police.

Acting on the information, the Borivali police on Thursday registered a case against Gupta and his friends under sections 125 (Act endangering life or personal safety of others), 126 (wrongful restraint), 189(2) (unlawful assembly) and 285 (causing a hazard, blockage, or injury on public roads) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), sections 201 (causing obstruction to free flow of traffic), 122 (improper parking) of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, and sections 37(1)(e) and 135 of the Maharashtra Police Act.

Pushpalata Mandale, senior police inspector of Borivali police station, said statements of those involved are being recorded and further legal procedure is underway.