Woman watching marriage procession dies in celebratory firing

SURAT: A 43-year-old woman died after suffering a bullet injury in the face when a businessman in a marriage procession resorted to celebratory firing in Varachha area late on Tuesday night.
The woman Savitri Badgujar was watching the marriage procession from the common gallery of their third-floor apartment on LH Road at around 12:30am when a bullet suddenly pierced through her face. Neighbours woke up her husband Devraj after they saw her fallen unconscious on the floor. Badgujar was rushed to SMIMER Hospital where she was declared dead on admission.

Postmortem confirmed that she died of bullet injury. Doctors did an X-ray which also made it clear that she had suffered a deep wound caused by the .32 bore bullet was had penetrated her face.

When police questioned those who were part of the procession, they got to know that the bullet was fired from a licensed weapon by one Rajiv Vallabh Khetani. “Those present in the marriage procession told investigators that Khetani was present with a gun. Our team has gone to arrest him,” said police.

Khetani, who has a business in Amreli, was booked for culpable homicide not amounting to murder and sections of Arms Act. The deceased woman’s husband, who is a diamond polisher, lodged the complaint.

A police team has also been sent to Amreli to search for Khetani.

It is suspected that he fired few rounds on main road before the procession entered Lakshmi Nagar Society where the victim lived. After entering the society, he fired more shots in the air, one of which hit the woman.