Navy sailor shoots himself dead on ship in Mumbai; probe ordered

A 25-year-old Indian Navy sailor allegedly committed suicide by shooting himself with his service pistol on a ship in the Mumbai harbour, a police official said on Sunday.

The incident took place on Saturday afternoon on the naval warship INS Chennai, a Kolkata-class stealth guided missile destroyer, after which the Navy ordered an inquiry into the incident, he said.

The sailor went to an isolated compartment on the ship and allegedly shot himself in the chest with his 9 mm service pistol. He died on the spot, the official said. The exact reason behind the suicide was not yet known, but the police suspect that the sailor might have taken the extreme step due to some domestic issues, he added.

The Colaba Police in south Mumbai received a call from the Naval Dockyard that alerted them about the incident. The police recovered the pistol used in the incident along with a magazine and a holster, he said, adding that a case of accidental death has been registered. When contacted, a Navy spokesperson said an inquiry has been ordered into the incident.