A 13-year-old boy died on Thursday in West Bengal’s Malda district after a bullet accidentally pierced his skull while he was shooting a social media reel with a handgun, police said. The incident occurred in the Kaliachak area on the roof of the boy’s residence in Srirampur under Kaliachak police station jurisdiction.
The deceased, identified as Safiul Islam, was reportedly using an improvised 7mm pistol when it accidentally discharged during the video shoot. Neighbors and family members, alerted by the gunshot, rushed to the scene and took Islam to a nearby hospital, where doctors declared him dead on arrival.
Police are investigating the source of the handgun, described as an improvised pistol with sophisticated features. A senior police officer stated, “We are tracing the origins of the weapon and are probing how the minor obtained it.”
Another minor identified as a friend of the deceased has been detained in connection with the incident. The detained boy reportedly revealed that Islam was addicted to mobile phones and often created reels for social media. Initially thought to be alone at the time of the incident, police interrogation revealed that the detained minor was present on the roof during the shooting but fled amid the ensuing chaos.
This tragic incident highlights growing concerns over minors’ access to firearms and the potential dangers of social media trends among teenagers.
