Hyderabad: Drunk college student with airgun tries to rob mart

Hyderabad: A drunken college student created terror at Malakpet on Friday night, when he brandished an airgun at local vendors. R. Hemanth Reddy, 22,  allegedly pointed the gun at an ice-cream vendor’s head and threatened to kill him after the vendor refused to sell him the ice cream for a lower price.

Thinking that Hemanth was holding a real gun, bystanders and other vendors ran for cover. Some alerted the police on patrol who overpowered him and took him into custody along with his friend Surender.

A vendor, V. Pradeep, said the incident occurred after 10 pm. “This youth and his friend were visibly drunk. He started arguing with the ice-cream vendor over money; suddenly he took out a pistol from his pocket and aimed it at the vendor’s head. The ice-cream vendor begged him to take whatever money and ice cream he wanted,” Pradeep said. Police found it was an air pistol.

In police custody, the suspect claimed that his intention was not to rob. “He claimed that he took out the gun when the ice-cream vendor asked five rupees extra. We have booked a case against him for extortion,” said Chaderghat inspector G. Sattaih.

Hemanth had bought the gun from a shop in Abids on Friday. “He said he bought it to show off,” said a police officer. Police have registered an FIR against Hemanth under IPC sections 384 and 506 for extortion and criminal intimidation.