Belthangady: In a freak incident, a licenced arms owner lost his life after firing at himself accidentally. The deceased is James PJ, 45.

It is said that James was crossing a flooded lake at Neriya when he accidentally fired his double barrel gun. The bullet struck his chest rendering him dead on the spot.

James works as a supervisor in a local estate and since wild animal menace has been a major cause of concern here, he used to carry the gun with him all the time.

However, when James did not return home till Thursday evening, the worried family launched a search operation and his body was found near Ambatemale stream.