Latehar, September 7, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
A wild elephant was electrocuted to death in Jharkhand’s Latehar district after coming into contact with a live electric fence allegedly installed by a villager to protect his house and crops from elephant intrusions, officials said on Monday.
The incident took place during the intervening night of Sunday and Monday in Kusi Tola of Komar village under Jhabar Panchayat in the Balumath police station area.
According to local reports, a herd of around 15 elephants had entered the area and was moving towards maize fields when one of the animals touched an electrified wire and died on the spot.
Residents said the herd had been roaming in the region for several days and had damaged crops and houses. A villager identified as Bifa Oraon had reportedly surrounded his property with exposed electric wires carrying current to protect it from the elephants.
The elephant came into contact with the live wire in the darkness as the herd approached the fields late at night, resulting in its death.
The incident caused panic in the surrounding area as the distressed herd trumpeted loudly. Forest officials suspect that other elephants in the herd may also have received electric shocks and suffered injuries.
After receiving information, teams from the Forest Department and Balumath Police reached the spot. The elephant carcass has been taken into custody and postmortem procedures are underway.
Forest Ranger Nand Kumar Mehta said an investigation had been launched to establish how electricity was supplied to the fence and determine responsibility. Legal action would follow based on the findings of the probe, he said.
Forest officials have urged villagers not to use dangerous methods such as electrifying fences to protect homes and crops from wild elephants.
The incident highlights the continuing human-elephant conflict in the Balumath region. In October 2025, the carcass of a young elephant was found in a paddy field in the area. Earlier, in July 2022, another elephant was found dead in the Ranchi forest with its tusks missing.
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