Woman, child shot after Air India passenger's gun goes off at Varanasi airport
PTC News Desk: A woman and a child were shot after a gun carried by an Air India passenger went off during a weapons check at Varanasi airport on Sunday.
The passenger from Azamgarh, was travelling with his wife to Mumbai on Air India flight IX-1810. He had a pistol and a magazine with him and had declared the weapons before boarding.
Today, 16.08.2026, at about 0930 hrs, a passenger travelling with his wife on flight IX-1810 to Mumbai declared weapons on board the flight. During the weapons check, the passenger fired a round, injuring two AAICLAS screeners. Both were taken to New Laxmi Trauma Centre for… — ANI (@ANI) August 16, 2026
According to Varanasi Airport Director Puneet Gupta, the incident happened while a passenger’s weapon and related documents were being checked at the airport.
During the verification process, the gun accidentally went off. The bullet first hit the ground and then struck two airport staff members standing nearby. A woman suffered a gunshot injury to her thigh, while a male staff member was injured in his hand.
“Today at about 0930 hrs, a passenger travelling with his wife on flight IX-1810 to Mumbai declared weapons on board the flight. During the weapons check, the passenger fired a round, injuring two AAICLAS screeners. Both were taken to New Laxmi Trauma Centre for treatment. Local police have been informed, and an investigation is underway,” the Varanasi Airport Director said.
The incident took place at around 9:30 am on August 16, 2026. Police said the passenger fired a round during the weapons check, injuring two AAICLAS screeners.
Both injured staff members are in stable condition and are receiving treatment. Local police have been informed, and an investigation into the incident is underway.
- With inputs from agencies
