Karnataka: Teen playing with loaded gun accidentally kills 4-year-old in Mandya, injures mother

A 15-year-old boy, who was visiting the farm, noticed a Single Barrel Breech Loading (SBBL) firearm hanging on the wall of a small house on the premises.

A tragic incident in Karnataka's Nagamangala taluk claimed the life of a four-year-old boy and left his mother injured after a teenager unintentionally fired a loaded firearm, police reported on Monday.

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According to news agency PTI, the deceased, identified as Abhijeet, was the son of migrant laborers from West Bengal. The incident took place around 5.45 pm on Sunday at a poultry farm where the family was employed.

According to officials, a 15-year-old boy, who was visiting the farm, noticed a Single Barrel Breech Loading (SBBL) firearm hanging on the wall of a small house on the premises.

Unaware of the danger, he took the gun and began handling it playfully. In a tragic turn of events, the weapon discharged, striking the young child in the abdomen and wounding his 30-year-old mother in the leg, the report added.

The victims were rushed to a nearby hospital, where the boy succumbed to excessive blood loss. His mother is receiving treatment and is said to be out of danger, according to police sources, PTI report stated.

Authorities have registered a case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder against the teenager under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

Additionally, the owner of the poultry farm has been booked under the Arms Act for storing the licensed firearm irresponsibly. Both individuals have been taken into custody, and further investigation is ongoing.

"We have registered a case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder under sections of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita against the boy who triggered the gun and booked the poultry farm owner under sections of Arms Act for negligently keeping the licensed gun. Both the accused boy and the license holder of the weapon were apprehended in connection with the incident," he said.

Police revealed that the accused teen, also a native of West Bengal, was employed at another poultry farm in the vicinity.

(With PTI inputs)