What seemed like a Diwali gift turned out to be a battery bomb in a village in Meerut, injuring two girls with 50% burns, according to police.
The incident happened on Thursday evening in Pilona village of Phalwada police station when Nidhi (13 ) and Radhika (11) daughters of Mehakar Singh, who works in a bat manufacturing company in Meerut, found a gift pack in front of their house.
“According to the girls, they took it inside but when they opened it, there was a blast. The girls got burn injuries and the plaster of the room was damaged,” said Avinash Pandey, SP (Rural), Meerut.
The incident was not reported until almost 24 hours since the locals thought it was a cracker-related incident. It was only after the condition of the girls deteriorated that the family reported the matter to the police.
“The girls were being treated by a quack in Bijnor. We took them to CHS, Mawana where they are out of danger,” said Mr. Pandey. The police presence, local sources said, led to rumours.
The girls said the gift pack was more than a kilogram in weight.
Mr. Pandey said a forensic team was pressed into investigation and it found two mobile batteries, a copper wire, and there was a smell of kerosene. The materials have been sent to the forensic lab for further investigation.
“Preliminary investigation revealed that it was the job of a local miscreant. The role of the mother is suspicious in the case,” said Mr. Pandey.
