5 Poachers Arrested For Death Of Elephant In Odisha’s Keonjhar

Keonjhar: The Forest officials have arrested 5 poachers for death of an elephant in an electric trap in Odisha’s Keonjhar district.

DFO Dhanraj HD told the media persons that the poachers had laid the trap with an elecctric wire hooked to an 11 KV line to kill wild boars in the forest near Gadimera Juang Sahi in Salikena village under Telkoi forest range in the district. But a 40-year-old tusker, who had strayed into the area, fell into the trap and was electrocuted to death on Friday.

After the death of the elephant, they tried to destroy the trap and threw the electric wire into a pond near Rugudi Colony.

During the investigation, the Forest officials came to know about the involvement of the five poachers. They detained four of them. On the basis of information provided by the suspects, the Forest officials arrested another accused.

The arrested poachers are Chitrasen Munda, Jitu Munda, Mithu Pradhan and Putura Pradhan of Jansanpur village and Satyas Munda of Rugudi village in Telkoi block. The forest department has seized electric wires, wooden stakes, bottles used to lay the trap for wild animals.

Later, the Forest officials took the accused to the crime spot for scene recreation. The accused demonstrated how they laid the trap and covered it with used glass bottles and dry twigs to catch the boars.