In a freak accident, a deceased army man’s widow lost both her palms after a hair dryer exploded in her hands in Karnataka.
The incident occurred in Bagalkot district’s Ilkal town. The victim has been identifies as Basamma Yarnal, wife of deceased soldier Papanna who had died in Jammu and Kashmir in 2017 due to an electrical short circuit.
The intensity of the explosion was such that Basamma’s fingers shattered and her forearms got severed and blood splattered across the house.
According to Basamma, she had received a courier addressed to her neighbour, Shashikala, the widow of another deceased soldier. The parcel bore the name of Shashikala and mobile number. However, since she was out of town when it arrived, Shashikala requested her to receive it on her behalf and open on her behalf.
On request, Basamma opened the parcel to find a hair dryer inside. She then tried to demonstrate the device in front of other neighbours by switching it on, when it exploded with a loud noise, causing severe injuries to Basamma. She was immediately rushed to the hospital for treatment.
A case has been registered at the Ilkal Police Station. The investigation raised several suspicions because Shashikala later claimed she had not ordered the hair dryer.
Authorities were investigating who placed the order, made the payment, and how the device ended up in Ilkal.