Three boys were injured on Saturday morning when a socket bomb they had recovered from a mustard field in Murshidabad’s Dikdiki village exploded when they tried to

probe it.

The incident occurred when the boys, aged between 11 and 13, were playing cricket near their homes and the ball was hit far into the mustard field. All were rushed by eyewitnesses to Murshidabad Medical College, where they remain admitted.

“Doctors say they are all stable, even though the splinter injuries were substantial, one boy had to undergo surgery,” said a hospital official.

The injured were identified as Maman Ali, 12, Asif Ali, 13, and Juel Mandal, 11. Maman and Asif are students of Nagrajul High School whereas Juel studies at Baruipara High School.

“The boys unfortunately were victims of their own curiosity. They encountered this bomb in the tall grasses where their ball had been hit. It is understood that they tried to strike the bomb with their cricket bat,” said an eyewitness.

Residents of the area surmised that the bomb could have roots in a recent clash between rival gangs in the village last month.

Murshidabad police chief K. Sabari Rajkumar said a miscellaneous case had been started. “No leads have been found yet but we are investigating the probable source of the bomb,” he added.