Victim offered ride to hospital, money to hush up shooting in Delhi

The crime happened around 8.30pm on Tuesday when Khem Chand, a professional photographer, was shooting a wedding in Yamuna Vihar

After accidentally wounding a wedding photographer during a celebratory firing in east Delhi, a man offered to take the injured man to a hospital and give him money in return for hushing up the matter, police said on Friday.

Police said Khem Chand (in pic), a wedding photographer, was denied medical attention for nearly three hours and, at one point, was also ‘treated’ by a wedding guest who claimed to be a doctor (Delhi Police)

Police officials said the injured photographer was denied medical attention for nearly three hours and, at one point, was also ‘treated’ by a wedding guest who claimed to be a doctor.

Atul Kumar Thakur, deputy commissioner of police (northeast), said that a case of causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others has been registered at Bhajanpura police station and two persons have been arrested.

“A security guard, Sunil (44), had allegedly fired the shot using a twin barrel rifle. The licensed weapon belongs to his brother-in-law Uday who is a CATS ambulance driver. Both were involved in trying to hide the crime. We arrested have both of them from Haryana on Thursday and recovered the gun. They were from the groom’s side,” said DCP Thakur.

“He said he would take me to a hospital, pay for my treatment and give me money if I kept quiet. I was in pain and begged him to rush me to a hospital,” Chand said.

Chand said the alleged shooter, Sunil, drove him to a private hospital where doctors said that the matter needed to be reported to the police. “The man refused to get me treated there. Instead, he drove me around aimlessly for two hours before taking me back to the wedding venue,” said Chand.

Back at the wedding venue, Sunil asked one of the wedding guests to treat Chand’s injuries. “The guest said he was a doctor and used a blade to remove two pellets from my feet. One pellet remained beyond his expertise,” said Chand.

In the meantime, Sunil’s brother-in-law Uday allegedly arranged an ambulance, but they decided against using it. “Around 11.30 pm, the two men drove me in their car to Jag Pravesh Chandra Hospital. They dumped me outside the hospital and fled,” alleged Chand.

Chand then called the police after which he was referred to GTB Hospital where the final pellet was removed from his foot. “We questioned the wedding guests and they revealed who fired the shot. The duo tried to convince Chand not to file a police case, but he did,” said the DCP, adding that the allegations about a wedding guest treating the injured man were being probed.