Cop held for firing in police station

‘NOT DELIBERATE’

Mateen Hafeez TNN

Mumbai: The Nagpada police detained a 39-year-old police naik attached to the Mumbai Central Government Railway Police (GRP) for allegedly firing a shot outside the duty officer’s cabin on Saturday night. Nobody was injured.

The police naik, Nilesh Vishwanath Patil, was on patrol duty in Andheri but instead, he went to the police station. “He came to the duty officer’s room and suddenly the policemen heard a gunshot. His bullet left a hole on the floor,” said Bharatkumar Rane, senior inspector of the Mumbai Central railway police.

“Patil’s service rifle was loaded. It has been seized.” Patil said he had returned to the police station as he had acute stomach ache. “I came to report it to the duty officer. I did not fire the shot deliberately,” Patil said. Two officers were in the cabin at the time of the incident.
Patil, who stays at the Ghatkopar police quarters, has been with the Mumbai Central railway police since April 29. “His record is clean,” added Rane.

However, senior police officers were not convinced that it was an accidental firing. “He said he had loaded the rifle’s chamber for his safety. However, it’s not normally allowed. We have handed him over to the Nagpada police,” said Rane.

The Times of India, April 11, 2011