Constable shoots himself in chest; financial stress suspected

Hyderabad: A 27-year-old constable at the Sangareddy Town police station shot himself with a department-issued 9-mm pistol on the Mahbubsagar lake bund in Sangareddy town on Monday afternoon. Police are verifying if the victim had lost money in online betting, due to which he took the extreme step.According to Sangareddy SP Paritosh Pankaj, K Sandeep Kumar, a native of Kalher village in Sangareddy, joined the police department in 2024 and was posted at the Sangareddy Town police station.Preliminary investigation revealed that at 3.23pm, the constable created a WhatsApp group titled ‘Sandeep Wellwishers' with about 20 members, including his batchmates and friends. He posted messages apologising for troubling his mother and sister. The last message he typed in the group was, "Amma, chelli sorry", said Sangareddy DSP Sattaiah Goud.Moments later, Sandeep shot himself in the chest with the pistol and died on the spot. "He used a police department weapon, which he took from the ‘Bell of Arms'. We are verifying how and why Sandeep had it with him," the DSP said. The crime team has seized the weapon from the scene.Further inquiry showed that Sandeep had incurred about 15-lakh debt in his poultry business, and was under severe financial stress. He also reportedly suffered losses in online betting. "We are verifying with his family about his financial condition to find out the exact reason behind Sandeep's suicide," the DSP said. A case has been registered under Section 194 (suspicious death) of the BNSS, and the body was shifted for autopsy.