Korba: Chhattisgarh forest authorities have arrested 12 persons and detained a minor boy for allegedly killing an elephant calf and burying the carcass in Korba. The accused spotted the calf on October 18 and allegedly poisoned it the next day. Later, a herd of 44 elephants to which the calf belonged went on a rampage and killed a man.
Forest authorities said they have arrested 12 people and detained a minor boy for allegedly killing an elephant calf and burying the carcass in a paddy farm, officials said on Sunday. Katghora Divisional Forest Officer Premlata Yadav said that as per the preliminary investigation, the accused spotted the elephant calf at the farm in Bania village under the Pasan forest range on October 18 and allegedly poisoned it to death the next day and buried the carcass in the farm to hide the crime.
Later, a herd of 44 elephants to which the calf belonged went on a rampage and killed a man and three cattle in the nearby Devmatti village, she said.
Acting on a tip-off, forest personnel exhumed the carcass on October 20 following which an investigation was launched into its killing, she said.
Forest personnel found that paddy had been planted freshly on the patch of land where the carcass was buried to cover up the killing, she said. A case was registered for the offence under provisions of the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972.
Efforts are on to trace the main accused, who is a member of the Pasan janpad panchayat.
The districts prominently affected by human-elephant conflict are Surguja, Raigarh, Korba, Surajpur, Gariaband, Jashpur and Balrampur.
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