A 12-year-old boy sustained serious bullet injuries after a country-made firearm accidentally discharged while he and his brother were playing with it at their home in Bir Joy Para of Rambhadra Village under Nutan Bazar police station of Gomati district of Tripura on Sunday.
The injured boy has been identified as Morhen Reang (12), a student of class-Seven.
Sources said that the two brothers were playing with a country-made gun kept inside their house when it suddenly went off. The bullet struck Morhen, leaving him critically injured.
Family members rushed the boy to the Nutan Bazar Rural Hospital, where he was provided with first aid. Considering the severity of his injuries, doctors later referred him to the District Hospital for advanced treatment.
Soon after receiving information about the incident, a police team from Nutan Bazar police station reached the spot and launched an investigation under the supervision of Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Nirman Das.
The SDPO said preliminary investigation suggests that the incident was accidental and occurred while the two brothers were playing with the country-made firearm.
Police later recovered the weapon from a nearby forest adjacent to the house after conducting a search operation.
Investigators are now trying to ascertain how the firearm came into the family's possession, who owned it, and why it was kept inside the house. Police are also probing how a minor gained access to such a weapon.
Officials said the exact circumstances surrounding the incident would become clear only after the investigation is completed.