21-year-old alleges he was forced to shoot himself by miscreants in Noida

A 21-year-old man alleged that he was forced to shoot himself by miscreants who allegedly robbed him earlier on Wednesday in Noida, police said on Thursday.

The man identified as Himanshu, a resident of Salarpur village, was admitted to a private hospital in Noida with a gunshot wound on Wednesday night, however, upon investigation, police recovered the weapon used for the shooting and discovered that the gun belonged to the victim, as his pictures along with it was found in his mobile phone.

Harish Chander, the deputy commissioner of police of Noida, said that the Sector 49 police station received a memo from a private hospital in Sector 50 on Thursday morning, reporting that a person with a gunshot injury had been admitted to the hospital the previous night.

“A police team arrived at the hospital where Himanshu recounted that on Wednesday evening, he was followed by some miscreants as he was leaving home. According to Himanshu, these individuals were armed with a pistol,” said DCP Chander. “They took him to an isolated area in the locality, threatened him, and demanded his wallet. Himanshu said that he was coerced by the unidentified miscreants to shoot himself with their gun, after which they fled the scene. He sustained an injury on his left shoulder,” the DCP added.

During the questioning, Himanshu’s statements regarding specific details of the incident, such as the location, the amount of money stolen, and the number of assailants, appeared inconsistent, casting doubt on his story, police said.

“The victim changed his statement multiple times, which raised suspicions among the investigators. Consequently, the person who brought him to the hospital, Vivek, also a resident of Salarpur and Himanshu’s friend, was questioned by the police,” the officer added.

Vivek informed the police that on Wednesday night, he received a call from Himanshu claiming that he had been shot and requested him to meet at the Kendriya Vihar roundabout in Sector 50. Upon arrival, Vivek witnessed Himanshu arriving at the spot on his bike, injured, added the officer.

“Vivek then accompanied Himanshu to the hospital and admitted him for treatment. When the police team inspected the location, no evidence of a robbery was found. However, a .32 mm pistol was discovered by the police approximately one kilometer away from the scene,” said Chander.

Further examination of Himanshu’s phone revealed several photos of him posing with the same weapon. “Images from June 4 depict Himanshu posing with the illegal gun. It was determined that Himanshu was shot with the same gun that was later recovered one kilometer from the scene,” the officer said.

The officer added that the investigation into the matter is underway, with no case registered thus far as Himanshu’s statements are pending due to his ongoing treatment at the hospital. “Appropriate action will be taken based on further findings,” the officer added.