A hair dryer nearly killed a 37-year-old woman in Karnataka's Bagalkote, when the device exploded, blowing off her fingers and palms as she tried to use it.

Police said the device had arrived inside a parcel that the victim, Basavarajeshwari Yarnal, had picked up on behalf of her neighbour, Sasikala.

A preliminary investigation suggested the blast occurred due to a short circuit but a detailed probe is underway. Efforts are also on to ascertain any possible old rivalry the neighbour, Sasikala, must have had with the victim, Basavarajeshwari Yarnal, police said.

The incident took place on November 15 but came to light only on Wednesday evening.

According to Bagalkote Superintendent of Police (SP) Amarnath Reddy, Ms Sasikala reportedly told Ms Yarnal that she was not in town and requested her to pick up a parcel from a courier delivery office on her behalf.

Later, Ms Yarnal picked up the parcel from the courier's office. When Ms Sasikala asked her to open it, the victim found a hair dryer and tried to operate it. The device, however, exploded, blowing off her fingers and palms.

Hearing the sound of the explosions, a few neighbours rushed to Ms Yarnal's house and found her fingers and palms severed.

"The police have registered a case and also sent a team to the victim's house for a probe. A report on the probe carried out so far has suggested that the blast occurred due to a short circuit. The dryer was manufactured by a Visakhapatnam-based firm. We are probing all angles, including any possible rivalry that the neighbour must have had with the victim," SP Reddy said.

The woman is undergoing treatment at NR Patil Hospital. "The hair dryer was for my friend Sasikala. He had asked me to pick up the parcel and then later asked me to open it. It tried to use the dryer but it exploded. The doctors said I have suffered grievous injuries," she said.

The victim is the widow of former army personnel Papanna Yarnal, who died in Jammu & Kashmir in 2017.