Bob Parker wrote:

}I did a check on Snopes.com which is reputed to be a pretty reliable
}source of info about internet stories, and they say that this one
}really is based on an actual event in India...

Considering the wiring practices that are employed in parts of India,
I wouldn't be surprised if the story was true. Home-brew chargers
there could very well be nothing more than a diode and a dropping
resistor wrapped in electrician's tape.

Stan.