An Indian man died after a crude bomb disguised as a traditional candy exploded in his mouth, police said Friday.
Some rural communities use these homemade devices to kill wild boars by packing dough balls with gunpowder, often from firecrackers or quarries. According to the Economic Times, the devices are designed to explode when an animal bites them.
But they also resemble a common Indian dessert called rasgulla, a soft, round candy soaked in sugar syrup and traditionally eaten whole.
The deceased man has been identified as 35-year-old Rajendra Barautiya.
He was gathered around a bonfire on Tuesday in Dindori district in the central state of Madhya Pradesh when another villager brought him the “sweet” and another gave it to him.
“The bomb, used by some tribes in the region to kill wild boars, was given to this man,” police officer Rekha Singh told AFP. “It exploded in his mouth.”
Barautiya was rushed to hospital with serious injuries but died.
The villager who handed him the sweet was identified by police as Ramabhagat Barautiya, who described him as a rasgulla, the New Indian Express reported.
Edmond So/South China Morning Post via Getty Images 
“The incident sparked widespread shock and fear in the village, with residents struggling to understand how a casual evening conversation ended so tragically,” the outlet said.
Two men have been arrested and charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
“We don’t know whether the motive was to kill or whether it was mischief,” Singh added. “It’s a matter of investigation.”
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