18 held for killing man in Rayagada ‘mistaking’ him for wild boar

KORAPUT: Police arrested as many as 18 persons on charges of gunning down a 30-year-old youth, mistaking him for a wild boar, inside a forest near Kaliajodi village under Andirakanch police limits in Rayagada district on Thursday.
Police said the incident had taken place on Tuesday night and the deceased was identified as Khageswar Jhodia, a resident of Kaliajodi village.
According to police, father of the deceased filed a missing complaint at Andirakanch police station on Wednesday and during investigation the entire crime was unearthed.
“Khageswar had left home on Tuesday afternoon and as he didn’t return till Wednesday his father lodged a complaint and during investigation it was found that the group of people, who had gone to the forest for hunting, had shot him dead,” said SP (Rayagada) Saravana Vivek M. According to the SP, the arrested persons confessed that they had gone to the forest with two single barrel muzzle loading (SBML) guns for hunting and in the darkness they mistook Khageswar as an wild animal and shot him.
“Khageswar was shot on his head from an SBML gun and instantly killed. To destroy evidence the accused set the body ablaze inside the forest and fled the spot. We recovered the half-burnt body and autopsy was conducted,” the SP said. Whether the incident happened accidentally or was there any foul play is under investigation, the SP added.