A 27-year-old BJP functionary was found dead with bullet injuries inside a reserve forest on the Tiruvannamalai - Tirupattur border along Jawadhu Hills.
Police said that the deceased has been identified as G. Elumalai, a resident of Adivaram village in Chengam taluk of Tiruvannamalai district. The police said that along with eight others from the village, he went for trekking inside the reserve forest, which was strictly prohibited, in the hills on March 8. He spoke to his family members the following day. However, since then, there have been no phone calls or information about Elumalai. The others, who went along with him, did not return to the village.
As a result, S. Govindaraj, Ellumalai’s father, lodged a complaint with Chengam police, who also alerted forest officials of Singarapettai range in Jawadhu Hills. The police and forest officials searched with sniffer dogs in the hills for the past few days. Finally, they found a half-burnt body of Elumalai deep inside the RF.
Police said bullet injuries were also found in the body. Immediately, the body was sent to the Government Medical College Hospital in Tiruvannamalai where the post-mortem was done. Meanwhile, special police and forest teams have been formed to trace the missing eight persons in the hills. They are also probing reasons for the death, including accidental firing by one of the members of the gang, when they were poaching in the hills. Further investigation is on, police said.
