‘Hair dryer’ shipped to neighbour bursts, Bengaluru woman loses fingers

Police investigation revealed that Shshikala had never ordered a hair dryer, making the situation murkier, and raising more questions about the parcel’s origins.
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Representative image
Updated on
2 min read

BAGALKOT: Receiving a parcel containing a hair dryer proved painfully costly for the widow of a deceased soldier in Ilkal city of Bagalkot district on Wednesday.

Basamma Yaranal, the wife of Papanna, a soldier who was killed in a short-circuit accident in Jammu and Kashmir in 2017, ended up grievously injuring her fingers, forearms and face after the hair dryer exploded in her hands.

Basamma had received a courier addressed to a neighbour, Shashikala, the widow of another deceased soldier. The parcel also bore Shashikala’s name and mobile number. However, since she was out of town when it arrived, Shashikala requested Basamma to receive it on her behalf and check its contents.

Basamma did as requested, and 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 suddenly exploded with a loud bang, resulting in Basamma losing nine of her fingers, while also severely wounding her forearms and face. 

Neighbour didn’t order hair dryer, reveals probe

The explosion was so intense that it caused the victim’s blood to splatter across her home, leaving neighbours in a state of shock. She was immediately rushed to the hospital for treatment.

Soon, the Ilkal police launched an investigation, which apparently revealed that Shshikala had never ordered a hair dryer, making the situation murkier, and raising more questions about the parcel’s origins.

Accordingly, the police are now probing how the hair dryer, reportedly manufactured in Visakhapatnam, reached Bagalkot, before being couriered to Shashikala. They are also trying to investigate if there was any foul play, while also tracing the order and payment details to determine the source of the alleged explosive device.

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