Sabotage suspected after 3 locals injured by exploding electrical appliances
Police warn residents not to salvage electronics amid growing safety concerns
Three residents in the central province of Lop Buri sustained injuries in explosions after using electrical appliances retrieved from a landfill. Police now suspect the incidents were deliberate rather than accidental.
Officers from Ban Mi Police Station were alerted to an explosion at a house in the Chon Mueang sub-district on Monday night, June 23. Two people were injured, including an 18 year old man and his 60 year old grandmother, identified as Pairin.
Pairin sustained minor injuries to her shoulders, arms, and toenails, but her grandson was seriously hurt. He suffered arm wounds, lost several fingers, and is at risk of losing his eyesight. He remains in intensive care and requires surgery.
According to Pairin, she found a cordless drill discarded in a community rubbish area and brought it home. Curious to test it, she asked her grandson to install batteries in the device.
Shortly after installation, the device exploded, producing a loud noise that echoed through the neighbourhood. The young man was severely injured and was rushed to a hospital with help from neighbours. A pool of his blood was visible on the floor when police arrived at the scene.
Pairin informed officers that a similar incident had occurred to another local just days earlier. In that case, a woman found a brand-new headlamp at the roadside, which exploded the moment she switched it on.
The woman lost several fingers and suffered multiple injuries across her body. She remains hospitalised. Pairin believes both incidents are connected and urged police to investigate further.
Police agreed with Pairin’s assessment, noting similarities between the two explosions. They now suspect the devices were intentionally rigged.
Officers have launched an investigation and are warning locals not to collect discarded electrical items from landfills or rubbish sites for their safety.
In a related incident reported in March, a nine year old boy picked up an unidentified object from a road near his family home in the Isaan province of Phichit. The object turned out to be a homemade bomb, which tragically killed the boy instantly upon contact.
Two teenagers from the community were later arrested for randomly placing homemade bombs on a public road, leading to the fatality. They confessed to police that they had made the bombs and wanted to test them out.
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