Firing of blanks near Israeli homes may be celebratory: Police

New Delhi, July 7 (IANS) Delhi Police Monday said the firing of blanks near the homes of Israeli nationals in the capital may have been "celebratory fire" by a drunken man.

Police, however, said they were investigating the case from other angles also.

A senior police officer told IANS that there were three men sitting in the car during the firing incident. One of them aged in his early 20s fired blanks with a gun often used in races.

Blank firing causes a loud noise, accompanied by smoke, but no cartridge is involved.

The incident took place around 2 a.m. Sunday in Vasant Vihar area near the Delhi Public School where many foreigners including the families of Israeli diplomats live.

"The men also shouted and it seemed they were under the influence of alcohol," the police officer said.

Keeping in view the February 2012 bomb blast on a car in which the wife of an Israeli diplomat was travelling, the anti-terrorism unit of Delhi Police's Special Cell is also investigating the case.

The Israeli diplomat's wife and three other people were injured in the attack that took place near the prime minister's residence in central Delhi.