It was the afternoon game of cricket which in Bandaru village, Belthangadi taluk, was turning into a nightmare when a ball-shaped object found by children exploded. The incident, which took place Wednesday, February 18, 2026, left Abhish injured as an 11-year-old and has prompted a police investigation into the source of the explosive.
The Incident
The son of Mukunda and Jayashree, Abhish was in the courtyard of his home with another child that day. Local reports stated that the children found a round, plastic-wrapped object that they mistook for a makeshift ball. One child bowled the object while Abhish tried to hit it with a bat.
On contact, the object exploded with a loud bang, spewing thick smoke and knocking stone fragments into the air. Abhish suffered minor injuries to his legs from the shrapnel and was rushed to the Belthangadi Government Hospital on February 19 for treatment. Medical personnel have confirmed that he is now in stable condition and out of danger.
Investigators and Suspected "Boar Bomb" from the Police
The Dharmasthala Police took a case as per the Explosives Act and Section 125(A) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Preliminary investigations which were initiated by the Superintendent of Police, Dr. Arun Kumar of Dakshina Kannada suggest that the object was a crude explosive commonly called a "pig bomb" or "boar bomb" and used in an attempt to hunt wild animals by poachers.
The stray dog could have brought the explosive into the live, residential courtyard from the woods. The illegal devices threaten public safety and wildlife and police have already begun their search for the perpetrators.
