Constable shoots himself inside police vehicle in Karnataka's Kalaburagi

Kalaburagi (Karnataka), Jul 8 (PTI) A police constable attached to the City Armed Reserve allegedly died by suicide after shooting himself in the chest with his service rifle inside a police vehicle here, police said on Wednesday. The incident occurred at Jagat Circle at around 9.30 pm on Tuesday when the constable, identified as Shivakumar, a native of Naribola village in Jewargi taluk, was deployed on security duty in view of the chief minister's visit to the city, they said. He was part of the security arrangement along with other policemen, police said. According to City Police Commissioner Sharanappa S D, Shivakumar, who had been transferred from Bengaluru Rural district to Kalaburagi about three to four months ago, was found to have used his .303 service rifle to shoot himself while inside the police vehicle. Police said Shivakumar had reportedly been under mental stress due to personal reasons in recent days, though the exact reason for the suicide is yet to be ascertained. His family has been informed. The Commissioner said ballistic and forensic examinations, along with a scientific inspection of the scene, were being done. The scene has been preserved to avoid tampering with evidence, and further action will be taken after recording the family's statement. The Commissioner visited the spot and inspected the scene. Further investigation is in progress. PTI AMP KH