Two more persons have been arrested in connection with the death of an elephant due to bullet injuries in Narasinghpur forest under Athagarh forest division of Cuttack district.
A special team of the forest department nabbed the two accused on Wednesday. Last week, three persons were arrested in this connection. Now the total number of arrests in the case has reached five.
Notably, the tusker was found writhing in pain near a rivulet in Narasinghpur east range of the forest division on June 7. The jumbo was shot at five to six places on its body including its head, trunk and leg. After battling for life for nearly three weeks, the tusker succumbed to the injuries during treatment.
Meanwhile, the conflict between man and elephant continued in Odisha as two persons including a five-year-old girl died in separate incidents of elephant attack in Mayurbhanj district on Wednesday night.
A tusker reportedly killed the minor girl at Samaidihi village under Morada block.
As per reports, the wild tusker carried out massive destruction in the village triggering panic among the people. In the process, the jumbo threw the little girl with its trunk who accidentally came on its way. The child died on the spot.
In another tragic incident, a pachyderm trampled a 60-year-old man to death at Sunahaja village under Betnoti forest range.
Notably, various parts of Mayurbhanj district have been witnessing elephant menace for the last few days. The marauding pachyderms have killed more than 15 people and destroyed several acres of crops.