Angul: A poacher died after coming in contact with a live wire left in the forest to kill animals.

The death came to light on Tuesday even though it took place on December 30 near Madhupur village in Baantala police limits of Angul district.

The deceased has been identified as Dushmanta Sahu, police said, adding that three members of a poaching racket active in the area had been arrested.

Dushmant and five accomplices had ventured into the forest for poaching four days ago. They had spread live wires to kill animals.

Accidentally, Dushmanta got stuck in the wire and died. The three arrested had buried the body.

The police had swung into action after the deceased's family members lodged a missing complaint.

Acting on a tip-off that the accused persons and Dushmanta had entered the reserve forest, the three suspects were detained and interrogated. There, they spilled the beans and revealed how Dushmanta had died.

The police then went inside the forest to the spot where Dushmanta had died and exhumed the body.

A six-member gang of poachers had entered the Simita hillock forest in Raiguda range on December 30 with the plan to kill animals by electrocution. For this, they had laid live wires in the forest that is home to deer, wild boar and elephants.

The accident occurred when Dusmanta tried to electrify the wire by hooking it with an overhead live wire. After Dushmanta died of electrocution, the others got panicky and buried the body, said Baantala police station official Subhendu Dhir.

Three of the accused persons have been arrested and search is on to two others.

Last year, a woman had died after getting in touch with a live wire that poachers had kept to kill wild elephants, Dhir said.