For the second time in two days, a loaded double barrel gun of a private security officer went off accidentally on the premises of a bank here on Wednesday, injuring the driver of a cash van.
Coming close on the heels of Monday’s accidental firing that wounded a customer of State Bank of India on West of Chord Road, the 30-year-old driver Hari Krishna Mishra suffered injuries from the splinter of a bullet shell that pierced his abdomen when the security officer’s gun went off accidentally on the premises of Axis Bank’s branch at Koramangala 7th block.
These incidents, involving private security officers on the bank premises, have raised concerns with the police emphasising the need for proper training and following safety precautions while handling arms. “The safety latch of the weapon should always be locked while carrying the weapon, lest it poses a danger to others,” a police official said. On Wednesday morning, the bank personnel had just completed loading cash into the parked vehicle from the currency chest situated behind the bank after which the driver was returning to the vehicle. Suddenly, the gun went off when the security officer V.S. Mishra was checking if it was loaded, the police said.
The driver was rushed to St. John’s Hospital nearby, where he is recovering. Doctors have declared him out of danger. However, two pellets were yet to be removed from the abdomen, they said.
Speaking to The Hindu, the treasury chest head, Aslam, said that the incident occurred around 8.40 a.m. when the cash was being loaded into the vehicle for transporting it to other branches of the bank. “As part of the regular procedure, security officers hold their weapon ready for security purposes while the cash is being loaded. The firing was purely accidental,” he said.
Raghu, the cashier, said: “We had just finished loading and the driver went to sign on the acknowledgement sheet following which he was walking back to the vehicle. Meanwhile, the security officer, Mishra, who was also inside the vehicle, was checking his gun when it accidentally went off.”
The injured person, who hails from Odisha, had been working as a driver since eight years and resides in a village near Chandapur, Anekal district, on the outskirts of the city, while his family is in Odisha.
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