Family escapes unhurt after stray bullet hits house after midnight at Manjeswaram in Kerala’s Kasaragod

Panic gripped residents of Vorkady at Manjeswaram, Kasaragod, Kerala, early on Thursday after a bullet pierced a window of a house, narrowly missing a sleeping family. The incident occurred around 2:30 a.m. at the residence of B.M. Harish near Bakery Junction within the Manjeswaram police station limits.

According to the police, the bullet shattered the window of the concrete house where Mr. Harish, his wife, Sasikala, and younger son Geethesh were asleep in one room, while their elder son Nitish was sleeping separately. No injuries were reported.

Mr. Harish told the media that they were awakened by the sound of a shot fired and glass breaking. “When I turned on the light, I saw a car and a scooter leaving the scene,“ he said.

The police, along with forensic experts, have launched an investigation. Preliminary assessment suggests the shot was fired from behind the house, about 40 metres away. The bullet and its fragments were later recovered from inside the house. Investigators suspect the use of a double barrel gun.

Wild boar hunting suspected

Initial reports indicate the possibility of the shot being misfired during wild boar hunting, a practice known to be followed in the area. The police said there is no indication of personal enmity and believe that the family was not the intended target.

Footage from nearby CCTV cameras were being examined.

Authorities said similar poaching activities had been reported in the region in the past.