Indian Man Dies After Eating Explosive Disguised as Sweet in Madhya Pradesh

A tragic incident in India's Madhya Pradesh state has left a community in shock after a 35-year-old man died from eating an explosive device that was disguised as a popular sweet. The victim, identified as Rajendra Barautiya, had just finished dinner with his family and was sitting by a bonfire outside his home when a neighbor offered him what appeared to be a rasgulla, a syrupy cottage-cheese dessert.

According to police, the supposed treat was actually a crude bomb made of cheese dough filled with gunpowder, a type of device reportedly used by some villagers in the Dindori district to kill wild boars. When Barautiya bit into it, the device exploded in his mouth, causing severe injuries. He was rushed to a hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival.

A police officer, Rekha Singh, told the AFP news agency that the bomb was offered to the man by a neighbor and that it exploded in his mouth. Authorities have registered a homicide case against the neighbor, identified as Ram Bhagat Barotiya, and another man. Investigators are now trying to determine how the suspect obtained the explosive and what motivated him to give it to the victim.

“We do not know whether the intention was to kill him or whether it was a malicious prank. That will be determined during the investigation,” Singh said. The incident has raised concerns about the use of such improvised explosive devices in rural areas, where they are sometimes deployed to protect crops from wild animals.

Local authorities are urging residents to be cautious and to report any suspicious objects. The investigation is ongoing, and police are questioning the suspects to establish the circumstances leading to the fatal incident.