2 teens die of electrocution in Palghar district

Two teens who went out to catch crabs in a rivulet near their village, were found dead in the rivulet and have suspected to come in contact with a live wire laid to trap wild boar

MUMBAI: Two teens from Kalampedi hamlet of Palghar district died due to suspected electrocution when they had gone to catch crabs in a rivulet near their village on Wednesday. The deceased is suspected of having stepped on a live wire set as a trap for wild boars, said the police.

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The deceased, Sujit Mhaiskar, 17, a class ninth student, had asked his newly married brother-in-law Dinesh Boas, 22, to accompany him for a trip to catch crabs – which usually lasts for a few hours. As the two did not return home for hours, the family members along with friends started searching for them at places known for catching crabs. One of the groups found both lying dead in a stream around a km away from their residences.

The police visited the spot and have sent the dead bodies for post-mortem and are investigating the matter. Electrical fixtures and wires were found near the site of the incident. The causes of death will be ascertained after the preliminary post-mortem report, said a police officer.

In many of the villages near the mountain ranges, traps are laid by passing electric current to wires to kill wild boars. Wild boars come to eat chikoo, ripe paddy, and other cultivation in farms during the nights in harvesting season. They are usually targeted near water bodies that are frequented by wild boars. Wild boar meat is part of the tribal cuisine and the way of killing them by electric shock is easier than hunting banned boars in jungles.