Nagpur: An on-duty Air Force sergeant allegedly took his own life by shooting himself with his service weapon at Maintenance Command here in the early hours of Wednesday, police said.

Javeer Singh (36), who hailed from Bhiwani in Haryana, shot himself in the head around 2 am, said an official of Gittikhadan police station.

The gunshot alerted other jawans at the Maintenance Command Center in Vayusena Nagar who found Singh lying in a pool of blood.

The body was sent to a government hospital for postmortem, and an investigation was underway, said the official.

Singh’s colleagues told police that he appeared stressed in the last two days, the official said.

A defence spokesperson, however, said reports about the stress being the trigger for suicide were premature.

“The cause is still under investigation,” the spokesperson said. He said the case is handed over to civil police for further investigation.

“This is a tragic incident. IAF is providing all assistance to the police. IAF administration is extending all support to the family of the deceased,” the spokesperson added.