A rogue elephant killed two more people, including a minor, in Jharkhand’s West Singhbhum district on Friday, as officials struggled to remove the animal from a border village near Odisha.
The full-grown tusker remained in Tilokutti village under Majhgaon police station limits despite repeated attempts by forest and police teams to drive it away, Sub-Divisional Police Officer Rafael Murmu said.
The victims were identified as 40-year-old Prakash Malwa and a minor boy from nearby Benisagar village. Another person sustained injuries in the attack.
Murmu said the elephant refused to move out of the village, creating a tense standoff that prevented immediate recovery of the bodies. “Additional forces have been requisitioned,” he said, adding that safety concerns remained high due to the animal’s continued presence.
Human-elephant conflict has been a recurring issue in the forested belt of West Singhbhum, particularly in villages close to inter-state borders.
"I will be able to give further details only after reaching the spot, as the tusker is still stationed there," the SDPO said.
Over the past fortnight, around 18 people have been killed in wild elephant attacks in Goilkera and Kolhan forest ranges of the district, officials said.
Of the deceased, six persons, including four members of a family, were killed in Noamundi block on Tuesday night, they added.