Hand grenade collected from firing range goes off; boy killed

A 13-year-old tribal boy was killed and another person injured on Monday when a hand grenade they had collected from a CISF firing range exploded, police said.

The incident took place in Barwaha town when the duo was trying to take out metal pieces from the unexploded hand grenade for selling them in scrap market, they said.

The boy, Mohit Bheel, died instantly, while one Gudda (25) suffered serious injuries, Barwaha Sub-Divisional Officer of Police Shailendra Singh Shrivastava said.

Gudda was rushed to a hospital in Indore, he said.

The duo had collected the hand grenade from the firing range of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) located in a forested area of Barwaha, some 100km from the district headquarters, he said.

The two were trying to open the explosive in a field for metal when it exploded, the police added.

People residing near the firing range often enter the premises to pick up used ammunition and sell them in the local scrap market to eke out a living, he said.