Bagalkote (Karnataka): In a shocking incident, a woman lost both forearms in a hair dryer explosion in Basavanagar, Ilkal in Bagalkot district. The incident occurred on November 16, but came to light late. A case was registered at the Ilkal Police Station. The victim was identified as Basavarajeswari Yaranal, the widow of Papanna Yaranal, an army soldier, who lost his life in a 2017 electric short-circuit accident in Jammu and Kashmir.
According to the police, Basavarajeswari received a parcel addressed to her neighbour, Shashikala, which led to the unfortunate accident. The parcel, delivered by a courier service, was addressed to Shashikala of Basavanagar, who was unavailable at the time. On receiving a call from the courier delivery agent on November 15, Shashikala instructed her neighbour Basavarajeswari to collect the parcel. She also confirmed that she had not ordered any product online and was unaware of its contents. On the November 15 afternoon, Basavarajeshwari went to the courier office and brought the courier.
When Basavarajeswari opened the parcel on November 16, she found a hair dryer. At the suggestion of a neighbour, she plugged the device into a switchboard to test it. The dryer exploded upon activation, the intensity of the explosion was such that Basamma’s fingers shattered and her forearms were severed. Basavarajeswari was immediately admitted to Ilakal Private Hospital.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the hair dryer was manufactured in Visakhapatnam and shipped to Ilkal via Bagalkote. However, Shashikala had not ordered the product. A case has been registered in Ilakal city police station. The police are investigating, who placed the order, the police said.
District Superintendent of Police Amarnath Reddy said, "A case has been registered in this regard. An explosion from an electronic device will be taken seriously and investigated from all dimensions. The FSL team has also collected evidence from the spot. The investigation is going on."
