RAIPUR: Infuriated over the losses inflicted by the marauding herd of tuskers, the villagers, provoked by local leaders, killed the elephant calf at the Katghora forest range in Korba district.
To conceal their crime, they buried the calf in the barren land, covered it and quickly planted paddy saplings over it. However, the informers of the state forest department in the Pasan village finding the fresh saplings on the land, which was too poor to produce any vegetation, got suspicious.
The villagers allegedly worked out a plan to start eliminating the elephants at the behest of the local janpad panchayat member Kamalbhan Singh. They mixed the stored paddy with the poisonous pesticides that is believed to have led to the death of one.
Based on the inputs received the forest department personnel reached the spot, removed the saplings, and the body was dug up and sent for post-mortem. According to the officials, the dead calf appears to be one year old. The local police had registered a case against 13 accused. The main accused is absconding.