Kasaragod: A 23-year-old youth was seriously injured after stepping on an explosive booby trap set for wild boars in a dense, scrub forest in the border panchayat of Vorkady Sunday night, said Manjeshwar police.

The injured has been identified as Sawad, son of N S Mohammed of Nadivayal in Pathoor village of Vorkady. Friends, who were with him, rushed Sawad to Justice K S Hegde Charitable Hospital at Deralakatte on the outskirts of Mangaluru. "The explosion tore through the back of his left thigh," said Abdul Majeed B A, panchayat member of Pathoor ward. "Doctors said Sawad's strong build helped him survive; a slighter person might not have made it," the panchayat member said, after visiting him in the hospital.

Sawad works in an arecanut trader's shop. According to residents, around 9 pm, Sawad's friend Faisal spotted a torchlight inside the scrubland between AKM Arabic College, Kaje, and the  Guvethapadpu-Bakarbail Road towards Vittala in Karnataka. He called his friends to check out the light, and four of them, including Sawad, arrived on two motorcycles from Bakarbail junction, 1 km away. "They went inside the wooded area, and moments later, there was a loud explosion," said Abdul Majeed.

Residents said they saw two students from the college moving in the area with sacks and sticks, explaining why Faisal called in his friends to check the place.

On Friday, two Malayalam-speaking men arrived in an autorickshaw and spent time in the same bushy area, 2.5km from the Karnataka border. Latheef, a nearby resident, said he confronted them. "They claimed they were hunting wild boar and would be around for a few days. They also warned not to be alarmed if we heard gunshots," said Latheef.

Following the explosion, the Kasaragod DySP's team arrived at the site around midnight, according to panchayat member Abdul Majeed. However, residents voiced their frustration over the delayed police response. "Whenever we face a problem, the police arrive late. We saw angry protest yesterday night too," he said.

Majeed said that wild boars and porcupines are common in the area. "Last year, a wild boar rammed into an autorickshaw. We often spot wild boars moving around, but these animals haven't become a serious menace yet," he said. He added that hunters should avoid using dangerous explosive traps that could harm or kill people.

Manjeshwar SHO, Inspector Anoob Kumar E, said that the police were waiting for the forensics team to examine the area. "It’s quite a large stretch of scrubland," he said. Another officer said that as they walked through the forest, they discovered one more booby trap.