BARIPADA: An elderly man died after being attacked by a tusker near Durgapur forest under Betnoti range in Baripada forest division on Saturday evening.
The deceased was identified as Jagannath Singh (69) of Asanbani village under Betnoti police limits. His body was discovered by passersby on Sunday morning on the road near the forest.
Upon receiving information, Singh’s family members reached the spot. Police and forest personnel rushed to the scene and sent the body for postmortem.
Singh’s family said he had gone to Durgapur on Saturday afternoon for some personal work and did not return home in the evening.
Police said Singh sustained severe injuries in the elephant attack, which proved fatal. A case of unnatural death has been registered and further investigation is on, police said.
Betnoti range officer Dhrubendra Nath Naik said Singh’s family will receive a compensation of Rs 6 lakh. “An initial assistance of Rs 60,000 will be provided immediately, while the remaining amount will be released after submission of the required documents,” he said.