Vlogger Umesh Chauhan, who sustained a bullet injury when assailants opened fire at Bollywood actor Tiger Shroff's car in Mumbai, has recalled the terrifying moments after the shooting, saying he initially mistook the gunshot for the sound of a tyre being burst.
Chauhan, who is undergoing treatment at Mumbai's KEM Hospital, said he had no idea that he had been shot until he reached the hospital. He initially feared he was suffering a heart attack after experiencing severe chest pain and difficulty in breathing.
The incident occurred outside Pushpa Park in Juhu on Sunday evening when Chauhan was filming Tiger Shroff as the actor was leaving the premises.
Speaking to NDTV, Chauhan said it was around 7 pm when Shroff's vehicle was coming out of the gate. He was standing close to the actor's side of the car and recording a video when he suddenly heard a loud noise.
At first, he assumed that a vehicle's tyre had burst. However, he soon began experiencing intense pain in his chest.
Chauhan said he later realised that the noise had been caused by gunfire, but at the time, he was unaware that a bullet had struck him. As the pain became unbearable and he struggled to breathe, Chauhan began shouting for help from people nearby.
"I started shouting, pleading with everyone for help, saying that I had pain in my chest, telling them I couldn't breathe. I didn't know I had been shot; I only discovered that after I reached Cooper Hospital," he said, according to NDTV.
Despite the pain, he did not realise that he had suffered a bullet injury.
According to Chauhan, he initially suspected that he was having a heart attack. It was only after he was taken to Cooper Hospital that he learned he had been shot.
Chauhan was rushed to Cooper Hospital in Juhu, where doctors provided initial treatment and stabilised his condition. He was subsequently transferred to the civic-run KEM Hospital around midnight for specialist treatment and further medical evaluation.
According to a medical bulletin issued by KEM Hospital, the bullet injury has not affected Chauhan's heart or lungs.
The hospital said he was stable and undergoing treatment in the Emergency Intensive Care Unit under the Department of General Surgery.
"He is currently hemodynamically stable and is receiving treatment in the Emergency ICU under the Department of General Surgery, with consultation from the Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery (CVTS) team," the hospital said in an official statement.
Doctors from the cardiovascular and thoracic surgery team are also involved in his treatment.
