Drunk man fires pistol during late-night party at Virar resort, held

Police said Gurav was allegedly intoxicated when he fired the shot. He arrived at the resort with his girlfriend and six friends and they had been drinking until late Tuesday night

MUMBAI: A late-night party at a resort in Virar West turned chaotic after a 32-year-old Bhiwandi man allegedly fired a round from a country-made pistol into the air while partying with his friends at the resort around 1.30am on Wednesday. The incident at Tulsi Resort triggered panic among patrons, although no one was injured, and the accused, Sandesh Gurav, was later arrested.

Drunk man fires pistol during late-night party at Virar resort, held

Police said Gurav was allegedly intoxicated when he fired the shot. He arrived at the resort with his girlfriend and six friends and they had been drinking until late Tuesday night.

At around 1.30am, while dancing with his girlfriend, Gurav allegedly took out his pistol and fired a shot into the air allegedly in a fit of excitement.

The sound of the gunshot alerted two officers from Arnala Coastal Police Station who were patrolling nearby. By the time they reached the resort, Gurav had allegedly fled. Police began questioning those present and inspecting the premises.

Police said Gurav’s girlfriend and resort owner Ankush Meher initially tried to hide the fact that a shot had been fired. During the inspection, however, officers recovered a cartridge and the pistol from the woman. The weapon was subsequently seized and police began looking for Gurav.

He was eventually traced to Bhiwandi and arrested. Senior police inspector Satish Nikam of Arnala Coastal Police Station said Gurav runs a building material supply business in Bhiwandi and has several criminal cases registered against him. Police said Gurav was intoxicated when he allegedly fired the shot and are now probing the source of the country-made pistol.

In a separate incident on May 31, 2025, a minor girl was seriously injured in an alleged accidental firing at a resort in Kelwa while she was with a friend. The bullet, which was lodged in her neck close to the spinal cord, was removed during surgery at a private hospital in Boisar. Police had seized the weapon and detained her friend for questioning.