Overview
- The elephant killed a 40-year-old man, Prakash Malwa, and a minor in Tilokutti village on Friday morning, with police reporting the animal stayed in the area and blocked immediate recovery of the bodies.
- Additional forces were requisitioned after repeated attempts to drive the tusker from Tilokutti failed, according to the local sub-divisional police officer.
- Authorities say the same bull is linked to at least 17 deaths over the past week across West Singhbhum, with a pattern of night attacks and daytime concealment consistent with musth.
- Forest officials have deployed thermal and regular drones, 6–7 field teams, public alerts, and deterrents, and they have called in experts from West Bengal and sought assistance from conservation group Vantara for tranquilisation.
- Search operations face hurdles from the animal’s rapid movements, dense forest cover, and residents’ reports of Maoist presence and landmine risks, while railways cancelled six pairs of trains in the region due to elephant movement.