Mumbai:
A man in Mumbai had a close encounter with death on Tuesday night when of the three bullets fired at him, two missed him and one slipped out when his shirt was removed in the operation theatre.
Sachin Sawant was sitting in his office when three gangsters barged in. The gunman shot at point blank range and a bullet hit Sawant in the chest.
But so shoddy was the shooter's aim that the bullet slipped out of the wound when ward boy Bharat Padyal removed Sawant's shirt in the operation theatre of the Sancheti Hospital in Mumbai.
"The bullet simply slipped out and fell on the ground. We took it and gave it to the cops who have sent it to the forensic laboratory," said Bharat.
"He wasn't bleeding much, though the bullet injury seems to have damaged his fifth and seventh rib. He was taken to Nanavati Hospital at Andheri by 10.45 pm," said Dr Jaideep Kale of Sancheti Hospital.
According to Hitesh Sharma, the office boy who witnessed the incident, the gunman fired at least three shots at Sawant. "The first bullet got him, but the gunman missed the second and third shot," he said. Hitesh was quizzed by the police till 12.45 am on Wednesday.
"I tried to catch one of them, but the other two overpowered me and escaped," said Hitesh.
After the interrogation, Additional Commissioner of Police (north region) Ramrao Pawar said, "Sachin Sawant is out of danger. He is speaking without any difficulty. In fact, he even wrote the FIR for us."
When asked about Sawant's real estate connections, the officer said, "He runs a travel and transport business. Other things, including motive behind the attack will be known only after the investigation".