Air gun fired at goldsmith during late-night altercation over auto fare

A goldsmith from West Bengal sustained injuries after being fired at with an air gun during a late-night altercation near his under-construction house in Shamshabad.

The victim, identified as Samir Das, 36, a resident of Kokarwadi in the Ghansi Bazar area of Charminar and originally from West Bengal, had been living in Hyderabad for eight years and runs his own goldsmith shop in the Charminar. For the past seven months, Das has been constructing a new house in Narkhuda village, Shamshabad and has been visiting the site daily to supervise the work.

According to the police, on Wednesday evening, Das arrived at the construction site as usual, accompanied later by his son-in-law, Pintu Hati, 31, and Hati’s friends. They remained there until after midnight to complete the day’s work. At around 1 a.m. on Thursday, they prepared to leave but faced difficulty when Hati’s two-wheeler failed to start. They booked an auto through online platforms and were waiting for it, when another auto passed by the house.

Das stopped the auto rickshaw and asked the driver if he would travel up to City College. The driver allegedly demanded ₹800, but Das offered ₹500. The driver refused, and an argument ensued. Two unidentified passengers seated in the back of the vehicle allegedly started verbally abusing Das for being an outsider and then got into a physical altercation with him.

During the fight, one of the passengers allegedly pulled out an air gun from the vehicle and fired at Das, causing a bleeding injury to his stomach. The accused also threatened his son-in-law and his companions, ordering them to stand in line as if to shoot them, warning that they would all be killed if they resisted. Fearing for their lives, Das and the others fled the scene as the attackers sped away in the vehicle.

The police reached the spot following a call from the victim. Das was later shifted to a private hospital in Shamshabad for treatment.

A case has been registered at Shamshabad police station and investigation is under way to identify and trace the suspects.