Passenger accidentally fires pistol inside Mumbai airport

A passenger checking in for a flight to Indore, on Monday, sparked panic when his pistol went off accidentally. No one was injured. HT reports.

A passenger checking in for a flight to Indore, on Monday, sparked panic when his pistol went off accidentally. No one was injured.

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Govind Patidar, who was booked on a Jetlite flight, had decided to check if his pistol was loaded. "The passenger had emptied the magazine that had seven bullets, but must have pulled the cock by mistake which left one bullet in the chamber," said a Central Industrial Security Force official, requesting anonymity, as he is not authorised to speak to the media.

A small piece of a tile that cracked when the bullet struck the floor, hit Rina Roy, a baggage screening staff member at the Mumbai airport. She suffered a small scar on her right leg, which police personnel described as a "mosquito bite."

The incident took place around 5:30 pm at the courier gate of the domestic terminal when Patidar, a farmer from Indore, was giving his pistol one last check before putting it under the security scanner. Airport officials said the passenger had a valid licence for the weapon. Passengers carrying firearms have to check-in at the courier gate, the entrance to the extreme left of the domestic terminal, where the airline ground staff and airport security personnel screen their weapons and separate the ammunition.

Officials from the airport police station, immediately detained Patidar. "We are investigating the case," said deputy commissioner of police (zone VIII), S.N. Choudhury.

An FIR was registered later under section 337 (causing hurt by endangering life or safety of others) of the IPC.