Shibpur shooting case: Man used unlicensed 9mm pistol to fire at his wife, say police
Telegraph | 21 November 2025
The man who fired at his wife inside his 15th-floor apartment in Howrah Shibpur on Wednesday morning had used an unlicensed 9mm pistol, police said on Thursday.
Gopal Yadav, the accused, had fired a single shot at his wife, Poonam. The bullet grazed the right side of Poonam’s head before she slumped on the floor on Wednesday, the police said.
A case under the Arms Act was added to the existing charge of attempt to murder and causing grievous injury by a dangerous weapon after police learnt that the firearm used was illegal.
On Thursday, the police took Gopal to his apartment in the D Block of Ideal Grand for a reconstruction of the events leading to the firing.
Later in the day, he was produced before the Howrah court and remanded to police custody for five days.
“We are interrogating Gopal to find out where he got the illegal firearm and how long it has been in his possession,” a senior officer of Howrah City Police said.
“At present, there is no evidence of a criminal background for the man. Nevertheless, it is still too early to make any conclusive statements,” said the officer.
A resident of Siwan in Bihar, Gopal had moved to the housing complex a few years ago from his earlier address in Howrah’s Tikiapara, the police said.
The security guards of the housing complex told police that Gopal was not at home and returned earlier this week.
“A few people would visit the family, sometimes, claiming to be their relatives. On Wednesday morning, the woman could barely speak when she was being lifted out of the elevator,” said Naredranath Das, a private security guard who was on duty when the incident took place.
Gopal has maintained that the bullet went off accidentally when he was cleaning the pistol.
The police said they had yet to conclude whether it was an unintentional firing, but added that a preliminary investigation had revealed the couple had a tiff the night before.
“We will also take a forensic opinion on whether an accidental firing can lead to the type of injury that the victim sustained,” the police officer said.
Poonam, who was admitted to a private hospital in Calcutta, remained in a state of trauma on Thursday, doctors said.
The police will be allowed to talk to Poonam, who has two kids, only after she recovers from the shock, doctors added.