PETALING JAYA, Aug 1 — Out of boredom, as no cars came in to their workshop for repairs, three mechanics came up with the idea of building a home-made rifle — an idea that would later backfire on them. 

Equipped with the tools they needed from the workshop, the trio spent hours building a rifle that could fire ball bearings. 

After finally making the rifle, they took the weapon outside to fire some shots and ended up by accidentally shooting a passer-by in the head. 

The incident took place in Jalan Jugra, Banting, at about 4.45pm yesterday. 

A police source said the victim was identified as school clerk Mohd Syukur Shafie, 31. 

“The victim was sitting in the back of a car driven by his brother-in-law when the ball bearing struck his forehead as they drove past the workshop,” the source said.

The driver heard a noise and when he looked back he saw the ball bearing lodged in Mohd Syukur’s forehead. 

“He rushed Mohd Syukur to Hospital Banting and lodged a police report,” said the source. 

A police team went to the scene and, after talking to witnesses, they raided the workshop specialising in car exhaust systems and detained the trio.

“The team found the home-made rifle in the workshop,” the source said. 

Mohd Syukur was reported to be in a stable condition following surgery to remove the ball bearing. 

Selangor deputy CID chief (Intelligence/Operations) ACP Roslan Radzi, who confirmed the incident, said the mechanics were aged between 24 and 34 years. 

The case is being investigated for attempted murder and possession of an offensive weapon without a licence or permit.