In a tragic turn of events, a group of villagers, out on a hunting trip in a forest area in the Palghar district of Maharashtra mistakenly shot one of their companions mistaking him for a wild boar, police said on Wednesday.
Police stated that the man lost his life after being hit by the bullet while another person was injured. The incident took place on the night of January 28, and, the injured later died during the treatment.
After Killing, Group Chose To Hide Victim’s Body: Police
Palghar’s Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Abhijit Dharashivkar stated that the group of villagers were out in the Borsheti forest area at Manor in the district to hunt wild boars. “During the expedition, some villagers got separated from the group. After some time, one of the hunters mistook them for wild boars and opened fire, hitting two villagers. One of them died on the spot, while the other sustained serious injuries,” he said, NDTV reported.
Shocked and panicked after the accidental killing, the group chose to hide the victim’s body in the bushes instead of informing the police. “During the expedition, some villagers got separated from the group. After some time, one of the hunters mistook them for wild boars and opened fire, hitting two villagers. One of them died on the spot, while the other sustained serious injuries,” he said.
“After receiving a tip-off, the police conducted a probe and detained six villagers suspected to be involved in the crime. After an extensive search on Wednesday, the authorities recovered the highly decomposed body of the victim and sent it for a postmortem examination to ascertain the exact cause of the death,” Dharashivkar said.
Reports suggest that the injured villager also succumbed to his injuries during treatment, and his body was cremated by the villagers without notifying the authorities. However, the police are verifying these claims and conducting a thorough investigation. An FIR is being registered against the accused, he added.
