Father, son among three electrocuted to death in Yelagiri Hills

Police said the deceased persons were identified as K. Singaram (45), an ayurveda practitioner, his son S. Lokesh (15), and S. Karipriyan (65).

Three persons including a class VII student were electrocuted to death after they stepped on to the illegal electric fence erected to prevent wild boars from entering the farmland in Perumapattu village at the foothills of Yelagiri Hills near Jolarpet town in Tirupattur on Sunday (September 22, 2024).

Police said the deceased persons were identified as K. Singaram (45), an ayurveda practitioner, his son S. Lokesh (15), and S. Karipriyan (65). A country-made weapon, explosives, torch lights and nets were also recovered from the accident spot. Singaram and his son Lokesh belong to Mookkannoor village near Jolarpettai town whereas tribal Karipriyan belongs to Perumapattu village in Yelagiri Hills.

Inquiry revealed that along with his son Lokesh, Singaram and his family friend Karipriyan ventured into reserve forests in the hills to hunt small wild animals like rabbits and spotted deer in the early hours on Sunday. They were returning from the RF into the farmland in Perumapattu village when they accidentally stepped on the illegal electrical fence.

Police also found that the farmland where the incident occurred belongs to K. Murugan (56). He has given the farmland on a lease agreement to another farmer S. Nidhi (50). Nidhi has been cultivating cereals in the three-acre plot for more than a year.

As the village is located on the fringes of RF at the foothills, Nidhi has erected illegal electric fencing around the plot to prevent wild animals from destroying the crops.

Based on an alert from village headsman around 7 a.m on Sunday, Kurusilapattu police rushed to the spot. Bodies were sent to the Government Taluk Hospital in Tirupattur town for postmortem. A case has been registered. A probe is underway.

Published - September 22, 2024 02:02 pm IST