Post News Network
Keonjhar, Feb 8: Three persons were trampled to death by an elephant in two separate incidents in Keonjhar district Saturday night, police said Sunday.
The deceased were identified as Purna Mahanta (65), his wife Abanti Mohanta (55) of Sitarampur and Laxmidhar Mohant of Chakulia. Informed, forest officials led by DFO Rohit Kumar Lenka reached the spot and made arrangements for the postmortem of the bodies.
Forest department sources said a tusker from Karanjia forest in Mayurbhaj district had strayed into Patana range recently. The elephant had entered Belda reserve forest to reach Patana. It first attacked Laxmidhar Saturday at 10pm while he was working in a brick kiln. Later the elephant headed for Sitarampur.
Purnachandra Mohanta who was out of his house around 11pm saw the elephant in his filed and raised an alarm.
Hearing her husband scream, Abanti rushed out of her house to see what the commotion was about. The marauding elephant rushed towards the couple and trampled the two to death. Meanwhile, the forest officials have provided `10,000 to each victim’s family for cremation of the dead, the IIC said.