KENDRAPARA: A 25-year-old poacher died in his own trap after coming in contact with a live wire laid by him in the dense mangrove forest near Balinangura village within Bhitarkanika National Park of the district.
The deceased, identified as Sudhanshu Sethi of Balinangura village along with his six accomplices, had laid the live wire in the forest under Mahakalapada range to kill spotted deer and wild boars. On Wednesday night, Sethi accidentally came in contact with the live 11 KV wire while charging it. He died on the spot. After his death, his associates fled leaving the body in the forest.
On Thursday, his wife asked them the whereabouts of her husband. But they stated that he had gone to his friend’s house. However, the incident came to light on Friday after some villagers identified the body in the forest and informed his wife, who filed an FIR at Mahakalapada police station. She blamed all the six friends of her husband for his death.
Acting on the FIR, police seized the body and sent it to government hospital at Kendrapara for autopsy.
IIC of Mahakalapada police station Shyamaghan Behera said, “We have arrested three persons identified as Hrusikesh Parida, Malaya Mohanty and Saroj Sethi in this case and others managed to flee. Police also filed a case against all the six accused under different sections of IPC and seized the electrical equipment. It is the first instance of human death due to electrocution in Bhitarkanika National Park.”