BENGALURU: A quiet night at the Sipani Bliss apartment complex in Bengaluru’s upscale Anekal area turned chaotic after a drunken corporate employee allegedly opened fire with an airgun from his balcony, damaging a parked SUV and pointing the weapon at security guards and residents who tried to stop him. No one was injured.The accused, Anurag Tiwari (37), a senior designer at Bridgestone Select–Tyres World in Whitefield, was arrested in the early hours of Thursday following the nearly 40-minute shooting spree that triggered panic among residents.Around 2.30am, security guards heard repeated gunshots and found Tiwari, a native of Lucknow who had been living alone in the apartment for the past eight months, standing on his third-floor balcony and firing an airgun indiscriminately.One of the pellets struck a parked SUV in the apartment complex, shattering its rear windshield.When security guards and residents shouted at him to stop before anyone was injured, Tiwari allegedly turned the airgun towards them. Fearing for their safety, residents rushed indoors and locked themselves inside their flats.The residents alerted the Surya City police around 3.10am.On seeing the police arrive, Tiwari retreated into his flat and locked the door. After repeated knocks, he eventually opened the door and was taken into custody.During questioning, Tiwari allegedly told police that he had consumed alcohol and was distressed over personal issues.“I was frustrated over many personal issues; I had consumed alcohol and was not in my senses. I really don’t know what I did with the airgun, which was placed in my bedroom,” he told police.Investigators said Tiwari had purchased the airgun online last year and occasionally used it for target shooting.Apartment resident Bidyut Kumar M lodged a police complaint, alleging that Tiwari had fired at security guards and damaged his vehicle.“Our security personnel told me that Anurag Tiwari had fired his airgun at them. During the same incident, he shattered the rear windshield of my car,” the complaint stated.Tiwari has been booked under Sections 351 (criminal intimidation) and 324 (mischief causing damage) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with relevant provisions of the Arms Act.Security guard Mohan, who was on patrol at the time, said they initially tried to stop Tiwari by blowing whistles.“We were patrolling when we heard gunshots around 2.25am. We saw this man standing on the third-floor balcony, firing. First, we whistled, but he did not respond. When we shouted, he turned towards us,” Mohan said.
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