A 28-year-old pork butcher was grievously injured in an explosion while he was allegedly preparing crude bombs to kill wild boars in Kanakapura on Thursday.
Sathanoor Police have registered a suo motu case against the butcher, Anthony Sachin Kumar.
Kumar was allegedly preparing crude bombs when at around 8.30 am, one of the bombs accidentally exploded, leaving him with injuries on his hands, legs, and face. He was rushed to Dayananda Sagar Hospital in Kanakapura and later, shifted to St John's Hospital.
Police who were alerted about the loud noise from the house arrived at the location to find the house locked, as Kumar was already moved to the hospital. The police team interrogated the villagers and found that the accused had been preparing these bombs for a long time.
According to a police officer, Kumar runs a pork meat business and poaches wild boars. The villagers confirmed that he has been planting bombs on the fringes of forests and nearby areas with wild boar movement.
A wildlife enthusiast, requesting anonymity, said many wild animals have lost their lives because of Kumar’s crude bombs. He accused Kumar of selling the bombs to farmers as well.
“Over the years, a lot of sloth bears have also died after biting into crude bombs planted by the farmers. All those bombs were sold to them by Kumar,” the activist said.
He urged the police to do a thorough investigation and crack down on people who supply Kumar with raw materials for the bombs.
An FIR has been filed.