Man’s Skeleton Retrieved 7 Months After Death In Poachers’ Electric Trap In Odisha’s Dhenkanal

Dhenkanal: The police retrieved the skeleton of a man, who was allegedly buried by poachers after he was killed by an electric trap laid for wild animals, in Odisha’s Dhenkanal district.

Speaking to the media on the incident on Thursday, Kamakhyanagar SDPO Ranjan Kumar Dey said the victim, Sanatan Behera of Balipasi village under Parajang police limits in the district had gone to the outskirts of the village to attend nature’s call at night in September last year.

He could not see the trap of live electricity wire laid by three poachers on the ground. After he came in contact with live wire, he died on the spot. As the poachers came to know about Sanatan’s death, they buried his body at the spot and removed the trap.

Sanatan’s wife Reena Behera had lodged a missing complaint with the police but the latter had made no headway in their investigation.

But one of the poachers told Reena that Sanatan was dead while he was talking casually with her. Suspecting something foul, Reena informed the police about the poacher’s statement.

On the basis of Reena’s information, the police detained two poachers – Sanjay Dehury and Pilu Sethy. During questioning, they revealed about the death of Sanatan due to the electric trap.

The SDPO said a police team in presence of scientific team and district magistrate dug up the spot where Sanatan’s body was buried and exhumed his skeletal remains. A manhunt has been launched to trace the third poacher and further investigation into the case is on, he added.