Maharashtra Man Shot Dead By Fellow Hunters After Being Mistaken For Wild Boar

A group of villagers' hunting trip in a forest area in the Palghar district of Maharashtra went horribly wrong when some villagers mistakenly shot one of their own companions, mistaking him for a wild boar in a forest area in Maharashtra's Palghar district, according to the local police.

Police said on Wednesday that the man died of the bullet injury while another person was injured in the incident, which took place on the night of January 28. The injured person later succumbed to the injuries during the treatment.

Palghar's Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Abhijit Dharashivkar said the group of villagers had ventured into the Borsheti forest area at Manor in the district for hunting wild boars.

"During the expedition, some villagers got separated from the group. After some time, one of the hunters mistook them for wild boars and opened fire, hitting two villagers. One of them died on the spot, while the other sustained serious injuries," he said.

In a state of shock and panic following the accidental killing, the group dragged the dead person's body into the bushes and concealed it, rather than reporting the incident to the police.

"After receiving a tip-off, the police conducted a probe and detained six villagers suspected to be involved in the crime. After an extensive search on Wednesday, the authorities recovered the highly decomposed body of the victim and sent it for a postmortem examination to ascertain the exact cause of the death," Dharashivkar said.

There are reports that the injured villager also succumbed to his wounds during treatment, and his body has been cremated by the villagers without informing the authorities. However, the police are trying to ascertain it and conducting an investigation into it, he said, adding that an FIR is being registered against the accused.

(With inputs from PTI)