Lucknow, Mar 29 (IANS): A 28-year-old police constable died under mysterious circumstances in Uttar Pradesh's Barabanki district.

The deceased, identified as Sonu Kumar, hailed from Hardoi district and was a 2016 batch police constable deployed in Barabanki.

Barabanki Superintendent of Police, Yamuna Prasad, said "Kumar was staying in the barrack of Barabanki police line, and possibly was cleaning his INSAS rifle when he accidentally shot himself on Sunday."

The constable died on the spot. Other police personnel heard a deafening gunshot and found him lying in a pool of blood when they reached the barrack.

Sonu Kumar was rushed to a hospital where he was declared brought dead, the SP said.

Prasad further said that Sonu was also sent to Hazaribagh in Jharkhand state on March 23, taking a detained prisoner, and had returned to Barabanki on March 27.

Police also said that no suicide note was recovered from the barrack and exact sequence of events which led to the INSAS fire was yet to be ascertained.