Dhenkanal: In a shocking incident, a wild tusker allegedly broke into a house and killed a man in Nagari village under Odapada block in the Dhenkanal Sadar forest area on Wednesday night.
The deceased has been identified as 47-year-old Kasthu Behera of Nagari village.
According to reports, the incident occurred while Behera was asleep inside his house. A tusker reportedly broke through the structure late at night and dragged him out using its trunk. The elephant then trampled him outside the house, leading to his death on the spot.
The sudden and violent nature of the attack has left residents of Nagari village in a state of panic and fear. Locals described the incident as unprecedented, stating that although elephant movement is common in the area, such a house-breaking attack has not been witnessed before.
Upon receiving information, officials from the Forest Department reached the spot, recovered the body, and sent it to the District Headquarters Hospital here for post-mortem examination. An investigation into the incident has been initiated.
Forest officials informed that the tusker fled towards the nearby forest soon after the attack. Efforts are likely to be intensified to monitor elephant movement in the area to prevent further incidents.
The tragedy once again highlights the growing human-elephant conflict in forest-adjacent regions of Dhenkanal district.
