Rohit had been running the coconut stall as his father is ill. Rohit had been running the coconut stall as his father is ill.

A 15-year-old was shot at while trying to catch hold of two chain snatchers in Shalimar Bagh on Friday morning. Police said the teenager, Rohit, was selling coconuts near Club Road around 7.30 am when two men on a bike allegedly tried to snatch the chain of a person standing next to his stall.

In an attempt to prevent the robbers from escaping, police said the boy lunged at the two accused. During the scuffle, one of the robbers shot him in the shoulder. He was rushed to Fortis Hospital, from where he was transferred to Safdarjung Hospital. Police said he is stable.

“An FIR has been registered at Shalimar Bagh police station under relevant IPC sections against unknown persons.

We received a PCR call at 8.30 am about a shooting near Rambagh. The thieves shot at Rohit for foiling their attempt to snatch a chain belonging to Praveen Kumar, a resident of the area. We are questioning eyewitnesses and looking at CCTV footage to trace the accused,” DCP (northwest) Aslam Khan said.

“The boy acted on instinct when he saw two men on a black Apache motorcycle attempting to rob the victim. When the two accused came close to Praveen, Rohit jumped at them, making them lose their balance. One of the accused then drew out a gun and shot the boy,” an officer said.

Rohit lives with his father Pappu (45), a street vendor. As his father was diagnosed with typhoid a few weeks ago, Rohit had been running the stall. “From 7-10 am, he sells coconut water. He attends a government school in Mukundpur,” his father said.

Following Rohit’s injury, the family said they are facing a cash crunch to meet the medical expenses. “My son is brave, but we are poor. We shifted him out of a private hospital because we could not afford his treatment there,” his father said.

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