Extortionist accidentally shoots himself

MUMBAI, July 11: An extortionist accidentally shot himself after finding a measly Rs 20, in a scuffle with a travel agent on Friday night.

The travel agent, Deepak Jain 24, was talking to a friend in his office near Ruia Hall at Malad W, when Om Prakash Upadhya barged in at 11.45 p m. All of a sudden, Upadhya whipped out a pistol tucked under his shirt and stuck it to Jain8217;s temple. He simultaneously opened the cash drawer and to his horror found only Rs 20 inside.In a fit of rage, Upadhya hit Jain, who tried to snatch the pistol from him. The gun went off accidentally and the bullet pierced Upadhya in the groin.The sound of gunfire alerted police constables Chandrakant Sakpal and Rajendra Chavan, who were patrolling the area. Upadhya was rushed to Cooper Hospital. However, he was declared dead before admission.

Police have recovered a 9-mm Chinese-made pistol and an empty cartridge from the travel agent8217;s office, which has been sealed for investigations.Upadhya 32 was named in more than 10 cases inthe jurisdiction of Samta Nagar police station in North-West Mumbai. He was wanted for robbery, extortion, kidnapping, and assault in the last 12 months.The North-West police are also checking his antecedents to find out whether he was involved in a murder case.