THE prank by a group of young people in Bengaluru, India, ended in tragedy when a man they dared to sit on a box full of firecrackers died.
According to a report, the group convinced the man, identified as Shabari, who was intoxicated at the time, to sit on a box of firecrackers in the middle of an alley. The young people promised Shabari an auto-rickshaw, a type of tricycle, if he successfully completed the dare.
After the firecrackers exploded, Shabari initially remained sitting but then slowly lay down on the street. The group rushed him to the hospital, but sadly, he passed away while receiving treatment.
The video of the incident quickly went viral as the police launched an investigation. Six young people, aged 18 to 22, were arrested and may face charges of homicide. One of those involved in the prank was reportedly a friend of Shabari.
Shabari’s mother, Vijaya, shared her grief, explaining that her 32-year-old son worked as a laborer and was on his way home when the incident happened. “I wish he had stayed away a few more days. At least, he would still be alive. There should be a limit to playing pranks. His friends knew he was drunk, yet they provoked him,” she said.