Unclaimed scooter to gunshot: Delivery trip turns dangerous

New Delhi: A scooter without a number plate parked near Rajghat — with a loaded foreign-made pistol under its seat — came to police attention only after a 20-year-old delivery worker sustained a gunshot injury on Wednesday.Rajkumar, employed with a private logistics firm in Noida, was hit in the leg when the pistol allegedly went off inside a truck parked near the Ghazipur vegetable market in east Delhi.
According to the FIR, Rajkumar had accompanied truck driver Arjun, a resident of Gonda, Uttar Pradesh, for deliveries in Delhi on Feb 25. After completing work at Anand Vihar Railway Station, they were heading to Karol Bagh when they learnt around 4.15pm that the pickup location was inaccessible due to a no-entry restriction. They turned back towards Noida.Rajkumar told police he stepped out near Rajghat and noticed an unattended scooter with its seat raised. Inside was a pistol. He photographed it and sent the picture to his manager, who told him to hand it over to police. Instead, he took the weapon back to the truck and placed it beside the driver's seat.Since trucks are barred from entering Noida after 5pm, the two waited near Ghazipur. While they were inside the truck, Arjun allegedly began fiddling with the pistol. It discharged, hitting Rajkumar below his right knee.Arjun then drove him to a private hospital in Kaushambi, Ghaziabad, where doctors noted a bullet wound. Pandav Nagar police reached the hospital after being alerted about the gunshot.During questioning, Arjun allegedly admitted he had thrown the pistol into nearby bushes after admitting Rajkumar. The weapon was recovered at his instance.