Odisha Forest Department Officials Killed Elephant Poaching Witness: Cops

At least three forest department officials working in the Similipal Tiger Reserve were Thursday arrested for allegedly killing an eyewitness of elephant poaching in December, police said.

They have been accused of poisoning the eyewitness to destroy evidence, following which he was taken to the SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack, where the person died on December 15 last year, a police officer said.

The dead eyewitness's wife had lodged an FIR with Joshipur police station in this regard.

The trio was arrested under different sections of the IPC, said SDPO (Karanjia) Sudarshan Gangoi.

The arrested officials, who have been suspended, were forwarded to judicial custody for 14 days, he said.

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