In a shocking development, a PUC II (Class 12) student committed suicide by shooting himself in the head with his father's pistol near a bus stop in Bengaluru early on Friday, allegedly after a spat over pocket money, police said.
The deceased was identified as Rahul Bhandari, 17, son of a retired army man from Uttarakhand. His family was settled in R.T. Nagar locality in Bengaluru for 20 years.
The incident, which took place at around 5 a.m., shocked people in the vicinity as they heard a bullet being fired and then saw a body lying in a pool of blood at the Sanjay Nagar bus stop. The bullet pierced his head from the right and came out on the other side.
The officers of the Forensic Science Laboratory visited the spot and recovered bullets from his bag and pistol. The pistol was licensed in the name of his father and it was kept in a cupboard at home.
Rahul, who was said to be very good at studies, had been trained to use the pistol by his father. According to police, Rahul, who got up at 3 a.m. to study, had stepped out for a morning walk an hour later.
Police said that he had fought with his father as he did not get Rs 500 as pocket money, and his father had shouted at him. However, they said they are yet to ascertain the exact reason for the suicide. (With inputs from IANS).
What are the warning signs that a teen might be suicidal?
Warning signs of teen suicide might include:
- Talking or writing about suicide — for example, making statements such as "I'm going to kill myself," or "I won't be a problem for you much longer"
- Withdrawing from social contact
- Having mood swings
- Increasing use of alcohol or drugs
- Feeling trapped, hopeless or helpless about a situation
- Changing normal routine, including eating or sleeping patterns
- Doing risky or self-destructive things
- Giving away belongings when there is no other logical explanation for why this is being done
- Developing personality changes or being severely anxious or agitated when experiencing some of the warning signs listed above.
(Source: Mayo Clinic)
