Madhya Pradesh man dies after eating crude bomb disguised as traditional Indian sweet
Sweet lookalike explodes
Barautiya was with other people beside a bonfire in Dindori district on Tuesday when a villager brought what was described as a sweet. Another person gave it to him, police said.
The item detonated in Barautiya’s mouth. He was taken to hospital with severe injuries, but died, according to the report. Police identified Barautiya as 35 years old. The man said to have handed him the item was identified as Ramabhagat Barautiya and reportedly called it a rasgulla.
Device used against boars
In some rural communities, homemade devices are used to kill wild boars. They are made by putting gunpowder into dough balls, with the powder often taken from firecrackers or quarries.
The devices are meant to explode when an animal bites them. Their round shape also resembles rasgulla, a soft Indian dessert soaked in sugar syrup and traditionally eaten whole.
Two men face charges
Police have arrested two men and charged them with culpable homicide not amounting to murder. Officer Rekha Singh told AFP that the bomb was offered to Barautiya and then exploded in his mouth.
Singh said investigators do not yet know whether the act was intended to kill him or was mischief. The circumstances remain under investigation. The incident caused shock and fear in the village, the New Indian Express reported, as residents struggled to understand how the evening ended in tragedy.
Key points
- Rajendra Barautiya died after a bomb disguised as a rasgulla exploded in his mouth.
- The incident occurred Tuesday during a gathering around a bonfire in Dindori district.
- Homemade dough-and-gunpowder devices are used in some rural communities to kill wild boars.
- Two men have been arrested, while police investigate whether there was intent to kill.