Two Youths Electrocuted by Poaching Trap in Koraput Forest
Koraput, Nov 7: A grim incident unfolded in Odisha’s Koraput district where two young men were fatally electrocuted after coming into contact with a live wire trap allegedly set up for poaching wild animals.
The victims, identified as Gahela Mandinga of Kendupai village and Kumar Miniaka of Pipalpada, had ventured into the forest on Thursday evening to retrieve their cattle but never returned.
Their charred bodies were discovered the next morning in a cave-like area, far from the original trap site, raising suspicions of an attempted cover-up.
Locals believe the duo accidentally triggered a high-voltage (11kV) electric wire snare—part of an illegal hunting setup used to trap animals like deer and wild boar.
This marks the third such fatality in the region within just 15 days. Residents allege that local youths have been rigging electric lines from utility poles to create deadly snares, with little intervention from authorities.
They also claim that power outages often follow such incidents, only for the electricity department staff to quietly remove the traps the next day.
Police and forensic teams have launched an investigation. The bodies have been sent for post-mortem, and officials from the electricity department have begun inspecting the area.
The incident has reignited concerns over rampant forest poaching and the lack of enforcement in the interior tribal belts of southern Odisha.
