Prayagraj: Investigations into the alleged attack on a 17-year-old girl in the Bela Kachar area revealed that the injury was caused by an accidental gunshot fired from an illegal country-made pistol while her boyfriend was allegedly showing off the weapon. Police said the girl fabricated the attack story to shield her boyfriend and his friend.Police arrested the girl’s 19-year-old boyfriend and his friend, both residents of Purana Phaphamau. An illegal .315-bore country-made pistol, two cartridges and a car were seized from their possession.DCP (Ganganagar) Kuldeep Singh said Phaphamau police received information on June 22 about an alleged attack on a minor girl by two unidentified miscreants near Bela Kachar. A police team rushed to the spot, inspected the scene and ensured the girl was admitted to hospital for treatment. A case was subsequently registered under relevant sections.During questioning, the girl’s boyfriend told police that he had been in a relationship with her for the past one-and-a-half years. On the afternoon of June 22, the girl, who had gone to Phaphamau Market with her aunt, called him. He arrived in his friend’s’s car and both the girl and her aunt boarded the vehicle. After dropping the aunt near her house, the duo drove around with the girl before dropping her back near her residence.Later that evening, the girl again contacted her boyfriend and met him near a public toilet. She then accompanied him to the Bela Kachar area. According to police, while they were there, the girl noticed the pistol and asked him to demonstrate how it worked. He allegedly attempted to fire the weapon. One shot was fired into the air, and during the handling of the firearm, another shot accidentally struck the girl in the leg.After sustaining the injury, the girl called her mother and later claimed that two unidentified men had attacked her with a sharp-edged weapon. Police said her boyfriend had pressured and threatened her to provide false information to both her family and investigators.The case took a turn when police analysed call detail records (CDRs), surveillance data and CCTV footage, which indicated that the girl and her boyfriend had been in contact at the time of the incident. Investigators also examined evidence provided by the girl’s aunt and other material collected during the probe. The findings were subsequently corroborated by the statements of the accused and the girl.Police said at least three criminal cases were already pending against her boyfriend.
