Two men from Madhya Pradesh were electrocuted while they were allegedly attempting to steal sandalwood trees from an areca nut plantation in Chitradurga district on Saturday night. The incident took place at the farm that belonged to onwer Jayaram on Kanjanahalli Road in Dharmapura, Hiriyur taluk, officers aware of the matter said.
The victims, identified as Mohit (24) and Katharva (38) reportedly died on the spot after coming in contact with a live wire connected to an electric motor pump, they added.
Chitradurga superintendent of police (SP) Ranjit Kumar Bandaru said that the men had been staying approximately 2 km away from the plantation and had planned to steal the sandalwood trees.
“The two men planned to steal sandalwood trees from the farm,” Bandaru said.
“They entered the plantation between 1am and 2am with tools such as an axe and a sawing blade. However, before they could begin their work, they accidentally stepped on a damaged underground wire and got electrocuted,” he added.
The electric wire, laid just a foot beneath the surface by the farm owner to power a motor pump, had a damaged plastic insulation. Heavy rains in the area had caused the ground around the wire to become waterlogged, making it even more dangerous. The incident was discovered early in the morning when Jayaram, the owner of the plantation, arrived to check on his estate, police said.
Initial investigations revealed that the two men had been residing in a tent near Swabhimana School on Kanjanahalli Road. Police recovered the tools that they intended to use to cut down the sandalwood trees near their bodies.
{{/usCountry}}Initial investigations revealed that the two men had been residing in a tent near Swabhimana School on Kanjanahalli Road. Police recovered the tools that they intended to use to cut down the sandalwood trees near their bodies.
{{/usCountry}}A case has been registered, and further investigations are on to gather more details about the case.
The authorities suspect that the men’s objective was to steal the valuable sandalwood trees from the plantation, but their plan ended in tragedy when they came in contact with the live wire.