Man gets shot at after coughing during ludo game

A 25-year-old man was allegedly shot at by another person, following an argument that was triggered by his "coughing" during a game of ludo at Greater Noida.

Noida (UP): Amid fears over the spread of coronavirus, a 25-year-old man was allegedly shot at by another person, following an argument that was triggered by his "coughing" during a game of ludo at Greater Noida, police said on Wednesday.

The injured man has been identified as Prashant Singh alias Pravesh. He has been hospitalised. The accused has been identified as Jai Veer Singh alias Gullu (30), is yet to be arrested.

According to a police official, the incident took place around 9 pm on Tuesday at a temple in Dayanagar village under the Jarcha police station limits, where four people, including the man who received gunshot injuries, were playing the board game.

Both are residents of Dayanagar village and engaged in agriculture, police said.

"Prashant and three others were playing ludo at the village temple on Tuesday night when Gullu arrived there. An argument broke out between Prashant and Gullu when the former coughed. Gullu got angry thinking he was doing it deliberately," a police official said.

"As the argument intensified, Gullu pulled out a pistol and shot at Prashant," he said.

An injured Prashant was rushed to a private hospital, where his condition is stable now, the police said, adding that an FIR was registered against the accused and efforts were on to arrest him.

Coughing, fever, and difficulty in breathing are some of the symptoms of the novel coronavirus, a highly contagious disease, according to government advisories.

(With inputs from PTI)