A canine in Annaram village here was killed on Thursday morning, minutes after it was found playfully biting an unknown object, which the police later suspected was a country-made bomb.

Locals said the street dog was found dead with its head exploded near the house of Bale Pullayya in the SC Colony at around 7.30 a.m.

Villagers panicked as to where the country bomb landed into the village from, especially since it was also the crucial phase for Zilla Parishad election.

According to the Thungathurthy police, whom the villagers alerted, thorough searches were conducted in the village but the source remained unknown. “We brought in metal detectors, the dog squad and the bomb disposal squad and checked the adjoining houses and fields. Nothing was found,” the police said.

Probe launched

Thungathurthy Sub-Inspector assured that the village is free from any such substance, and said samples from the explosion were being sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory.

A full probe has been launched.