Keonjhar, Nov 12: The Forest department arrested five persons in connection with the electrocution of an elephant last Friday near Bhadimara village in the Telkoi range of the Keonjhar forest division.
The accused have been identified as Santosh Munda from Rugudi village, along with Mithun Padhan, Putru Padhan, Sudarshan Munda, and Jitu Munda from Jansanpur village. These poachers are alleged to have set up a trap using a live electric wire to hunt wild boars, connecting it to a live 11 KV transmission line approximately one kilometer away.
Following the tusker's electrocution, the accused attempted to remove evidence by dismantling the wire and glass bottles used in the trap. However, some wooden stakes were found at the spot. They had dumped the wire in a pond at Rugudi village.
Forest department has seized the wire and the bottles used in the trap.