Indian teen accidentally kills himself in selfie tragedy
NEW DELHI -- A teenager in India has died after accidentally shooting himself while posing for a selfie with a loaded handgun held to his head, police said Tuesday.
Ramandeep Singh, 15, pulled the trigger while taking the picture with his smartphone at his home in Pathankot city in Punjab state, said Inspector Bharat Bhushan.
He died in a hospital in the nearby city of Ludhiana late Sunday due to his head injuries. The handgun belonged to his father, who worked as a building contractor.
An autopsy has been conducted, and police are continuing to investigate the death.
India is home to the highest number of people who have died while taking photos of themselves -- 19 of the world's 49 recorded selfie-linked deaths since 2014.
The tally from U.S.-based data services provider Pricenomics counted deaths through January.
Mumbai has declared 16 no-selfie zones across the city, and authorities have warned people against taking unnecessary risks while taking pictures in dangerous areas along the coast.
Mumbai police spokesperson Dhananjay Kulkarni told CBS News when the ban was implemented that officers would begin "patrolling in the high-risk areas for proper implementation."
He added that under existing law, police can fine violators about $17 for venturing into the off-limits areas -- even if they don't take pictures.
As CBS News' Arshad Zargar reported, Mumbai is not the only Indian city that has seen people die for the perfect shot. In Chennai, 16-year-old student Dinesh Kumar was run over on January 31 as he tried to take a selfie in front of a speeding train.
Two days after Kumar's death, a woman fell off a train while taking a selfie. She survived after fellow passengers stopped the train with an emergency button and rescued her.
In February, an 18-year-old student drowned in a lake behind a dam in Maharashtra state while taking a selfie, and his friend who jumped into the water to save him died too.
In March last year, seven teenagers drowned in a lake in Nagpur when they stood up for a selfie and flipped their boat.