Patancheru police arrested two persons in connection with the death of a four-year-old girl at a farmhouse when an airgun misfired in Vavilal village of Jinnaram mandal, Sangareddy district.
The owner of the farmhouse where the incident took place and the 17-year-old boy who fired the airgun were held.
Disclosing the details at a press conference held at Patancheru on Thursday, Patancheru DSP S. Bheem Reddy said that the farm house belongs to Gurajala Venkata Prasad at Vavilal. Nagaraju was its watchman and stayed there with his wife Sukanya and two children, victim Shanvi (4) and a two-year-old boy.
Nagaraju’s relatives came there to attend the Mallanna jatara and stayed at the farm house. They were having tea at 9.30 a.m. on Tuesday when a 17-year-old boy, son of Sukanya’s sister, loaded the airgun and pressed the trigger while playing with it.
The pellet hit the head of Shanvi, who was standing in front. She was immediately shifted to Mallareddy hospital and then to Osmania General Hospital. The girl died at 1.30 a.m. on Wednesday while undergoing treatment.
Police said that Mr. Prasad left the loaded airgun at the watchman’s room without locking it. The children who came there took selfies as well with the airgun before it was fired by the boy.
Police said that the weapon was purchased online while the pellets were bought at Abids. “It is a weapon and should have been kept in a locker. Instead, it was left in the open and was accessible to everyone. This is gross negligence by Mr. Prasad. The airgun is telescopic which is prohibited. Such guns are only for target practice. Instead many are keeping it at farm houses, which is a crime,” said Mr. Bheem Reddy and advised people not to keep these airguns in farm houses as it will be treated as an offence.
The accused were being produced in court.
