Coronavirus: Noida man allegedly shot at by friend after he coughs during ludo game, say police
The police are yet to arrest the accused.
A 25-year-old man in Greater Noida was allegedly shot at by a friend for coughing during a ludo game, PTI reported on Wednesday, citing the police. The incident came amid fears over the spread of the novel coronavirus.
The incident took place on Tuesday in Dayanagar village around 9 pm. “A man shot at his friend following an altercation over sneezing while playing ludo game with two others,” Greater Noida Deputy Commissioner of Police Rajesh Kumar Singh told IANS. “The police have registered a case in this regard.”
The victim, identified as Prashant Singh, was hospitalised and is out of danger. Meanwhile, the 30-year-old accused Jai Veer Singh, also known as Gullu, is yet to be arrested. A first information report has been registered in the case and efforts were underway to trace Jai Veer Singh.
Police said the accused thought Singh was deliberately coughing to infect him. “Gullu got angry thinking Prashant was doing it deliberately and asked if he wanted to infect him [with coronavirus],” a police official told PTI. “As the argument intensified, Gullu pulled out a pistol and shot at Prashant.”
The three main symptoms of coronavirus include dry cough, fever and breathlessness.
India on Wednesday classified districts across the country into three categories – hotspots, non-hotpots, and green zones – as the number of coronavirus cases rose to 11,933 and the toll increased to 392. Earlier in the day, the Centre issued revised guidelines on the nationwide lockdown, which has been extended till May 3. The new guidelines noted some relaxations for certain sectors from April 20 onwards.