A 37-year-old man from a village in Coimbatore district was killed in an accidental firing on Monday.
The deceased has been identified as R. Ayyasamy, a resident of Theethipalayam village.
According to Forest Department officials, Madukkarai forest range staff received information around 9.30 p.m. on Monday that a person from Theethipalayam village was injured in an elephant attack and he died at his home.
The staff rushed to the man’s house and informed the police about the incident. A sub-inspector from the Perur police station came to the house.
During questioning, it was found that Ayyasamy died of an accidental gunshot and not in the attack of a wild elephant.
Further investigation with the assistance of police revealed that Ayyasamy and six others Raman, Anand, Ranganathan, Mottai alias Ranganathan, Patteeswaran and Chinnarasu trespassed into Boluvampatti block-I reserve forest of Madukkarai forest range around 3.30 p.m. on Monday to poach wild boar.
Around 4.30 p.m., the person, who carried the rifle, fell while climbing a rocky terrain inside the forest area. The loaded rifle went off in that impact of the fall, injuring Ayyasamy, officials said.
The six men carried Ayyasamy to a patta land in Theethipalayam village and fled after informing the injured man’s wife.
The family members rushed to the spot and brought him to home where he died of injuries later, they said.
The police apprehended Raman and Anand late on Monday and recorded their statements. The police and Forest Department team recovered the rifle, a spear, two machetes and other items in a combined search conducted in the forest on Tuesday.
According to the Forest Department, the police have registered a case and taken up the investigation as a person was killed due to a firearm in the incident. The accused were booked under Sections of the Indian Penal Code, the Forest Act and the Wildlife Protection Act. The police are on the lookout for the remaining four persons who are at large.
