News from Mayurbhanj

Relentless rainfall in Odisha's Malkangiri and Mayurbhanj districts has caused severe flooding, submerged roads, and prompted school closures and student relocations for safety.

IMD issues high alert as low-pressure area to intensify into depression, heading towards northern Odisha with heavy rainfall. Red Alert for Keonjhar and Mayurbhanj, Orange Warning for 10 districts, and Yellow Alert for others.

A government schoolteacher, Raisen Chaparai, was arrested in Mayurbhanj for leading a tiger skin smuggling racket. Seven individuals were apprehended with three leopard skins seized. Out of the seven arrested, Chaparai is believed to be the kingpin. Preliminary investigations revealed that the racket has links to Chhattisgarh, pointing to a wider inter-state network.

A 55-year-old auto-rickshaw driver, Himanshu Sahu, allegedly murdered his elderly parents, Hadibandhu and Shanti Sahu, with a hammer in Dhonapal village, Mayurbhanj. The incident, stemming from a family dispute, has shocked the community.

Odisha government dispatches expert health teams to flood-hit Keonjhar, Balasore, and Mayurbhanj districts to tackle post-diarrhoea care and prevent water-borne diseases, led by Dr. Prameela Baral and Dr. Binay Das Mohapatra.

Tigress Zeenat, relocated from Maharashtra's Tadoba to Odisha's Similipal, is pregnant and expected to give birth in September 2025, marking a success in wildlife adaptation and conservation efforts. Last month, forest trackers recorded her interaction with the native male T-12 (a melanistic tiger). Their mating relationship resulted in her current pregnancy.

Meanwhile, Odisha Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari has confirmed that the department is on high alert in anticipation of possible floods. 

Incessant rainfall in Balasore and Mayurbhanj districts raises flood fears, with Subarnarekha, Budhabalanga, and Jalaka rivers in spate. Authorities on high alert, initiating evacuation and relief preparations.

Similipal Tiger Reserve in Mayurbhanj district, Odisha, will close for tourists from July 1 due to monsoon. The exact date for reopening of the national park would be announced later. However, the ecotourism complex at Jamuani, Gurgudia, Kumari, Barehipani and Ramatirtha will remain open for tourists, the STR field director Prakash Chand Gogineni clarified.

A father and son in Mayurbhanj district succumbed to snakebites, highlighting a surge in such incidents during monsoon. Experts advise immediate medical attention and precautions to avoid encounters. The first three to four hours after a snake bite are critical for administering treatment. If bitten, get medical help immediately, preferably within the ‘Golden Period’ of treatment.

According to initial reports, five to six armed assailants arrived on a motorcycle and ambushed the youth, identified as Sibananda Barik, who works as a sales manager at a foreign liquor shop.

In Mayurbhanj, Odisha, a groom used a boat to reach his bride's house amid floods, turning his wedding into a viral story of resilience and joy. Both the groom and the Baraat (wedding party) dressed in traditional attire and boarded a boat. The incident was reported from Neda village under Saraskana block, which has been severely affected by floodwaters from the Subarnarekha River.

Four individuals, including a young woman, drowned in separate incidents at Lulung waterfall in Mayurbhanj and Jalaput reservoir in Koraput, Odisha. While two of them met their watery grave when they were taking a bath in Lulung waterfall in Mayurbhanj on Sunday, two more bodies were recovered today from Jalaput reservoir in Koraput under unclear circumstances.

Preliminary inspection revealed that the intruders first disconnected the closed-circuit television system and then removed the hard disk, erasing crucial video evidence. Investigators believe the operation was meticulously planned to avoid identification.

Udala Police seized 110 litres of country liquor while being smuggled in cold drink bottles from Udala to Bhubaneswar, arresting two individuals from Ambikadeipur village of Mayurbhanj district. For each successful delivery, they receive Rs 500, police sources said.