Stray bullet injures 27-year-old techie

Stray bullet injures 27-year-old techie
TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bangalore: Software engineer Niharika Jeena was injured by a stray gunshot as she was returning home on the Intermediate Ring Road, Koramangala, on Friday evening. The bullet may have been fired from the Iblur Military Camp, close to Koramangala.
The incident occurred when Niharika (27), who hails from Nainital, Uttarakhand, was returning to her house in Koramangala 6th Block.
She had stopped her two-wheeler at the traffic signal at Ejipura junction, about halfa-kilometre from the Koramangala Junction signal. As she was getting ready to start her bike, she felt an object piercing her left abdomen. A passer-by took her to St John’s Hospital.
The X-ray showed a bullet embedded 6 cm inside her abdomen. “I was shocked to see the bullet. When it hit me at the signal, I felt uneasy, but controlled myself and moved to the roadside,’’ Niharika said.
On Saturday, the bullet was removed after surgery. She is out of danger now.
The police are clueless. “We have taken up a case based on the Medical Legal Case Memo lodged by St John’s Hospital on Saturday. The case has been registered under Section 338 IPC for rash and negligence action endangering human life,’’ said a police officer.
He said it was the fifth such incident in the area and a detailed investigation will be conducted. “We have recovered the bullet, and the clothes she was wearing. They will be sent to the forensic laboratory for examination,’’ he said.
The Army has denied any role in the firing and termed the incident as “improbable’’. Military Sub Area commander Brig Clement Samuel said: “When the incident occurred, the Army was not carrying out night-firing practice. On Friday, the firing stopped at 2 pm. There is no chance that the bullet could have been fired by an Army rifle.’’
If the incident took place on October 26, why were the police not informed till date, he asked. “We got to know through media reports. We have asked for the FIR copy and an internal investigation is on,’’ he added.
Spread over 520 acres, the Iblur Camp is mainly used for firing practice. The Army use 7.62 mm rifles and the bullet is also 7.62 mm. The same bullet is also used for the AK-47 series rifles.
“We are lucky that our daughter is safe”
Niharika mother’s Champa Jeena landed in the city on Sunday morning. Niharika hails from Nainital and had completed her MCA from Kanpur and joined a software company in Bangalore three years ago. She stayed in Koramangala 6th Stage with her sister, also a software engineer, and a friend.
“We are lucky that our daughter is safe. What if something tragic had occurred’’ asked Champa. Niharika’s father is a forest officer and works in the Haldavani forest division, Nainital.