An Indian man died after a neighbor handed him an explosive disguised as a sweet dumpling that detonated the moment he bit into it.
Rajendra Barautiya, 35, had just finished dinner with his family and was sitting by a bonfire outside his home in Madhya Pradesh’s Dindori district on Tuesday when the deadly exchange occurred, according to India Today. The treat appeared to be a rasgulla, a popular dessert made from cottage cheese that is a staple at celebrations across the region.
The supposed confection was actually a ball of cheese dough packed with gunpowder, a crude device that villagers in the area have used to hunt wild boars. The bomb exploded instantly when Barautiya put it in his mouth.
“The bomb, used by some tribal people in the area to kill wild boars, was offered to this man,” police officer Rekha Singh told the AFP wire service. “It exploded in his mouth.”
Barautiya suffered catastrophic injuries from the blast and was rushed to a hospital, where medical personnel pronounced him dead.
Authorities have opened a homicide case against the neighbor, Ram Bhagat Barotiya, and a second individual whose identity has not been publicly released. Investigators are working to determine both how the suspect obtained the crude explosive and what motivated him to present it to Rajendra as food.
“We do not know whether the intention was to kill him or whether it was a malicious prank,” Singh said. “That will be determined during the investigation.”
The case highlights the persistent use of improvised explosives in rural India, where tribal communities have long fashioned homemade bombs from readily available materials to control wildlife that damages crops. These devices, often coated in bait to attract animals, have occasionally caused human casualties when mistaken for food or handled improperly.
The Dindori district, located in the eastern part of Madhya Pradesh, is predominantly rural and home to several tribal communities that maintain traditional hunting practices. Local police have not specified whether the suspect belonged to one of these groups or had adopted their methods for other purposes.
The homicide case against Ram Bhagat Barotiya and his alleged accomplice remains pending as investigators continue their work.