Bhubaneswar: A 53-year-old man allegedly shot dead his brother-in-law while hunting wild boar, mistaking him for an animal hiding in the bush, at Phasigaon village in Dhenkanal district late Saturday night, police said on Sunday. Police seized the gun and arrested accused Ramesh Chandra Naik.
Police said the deceased, identified as Govind Naik (48), owns a farmhouse that is 5 km away from his house. Govind and his brother-in-law, Ramesh, a resident of Alusingh, went into a forest forest adjacent to the farmhouse to hunt wild boar. They planned to shake the bushes so that the boars came out and they could easily hunt them. According to the plan, Govind decided to shake the bushes while Ramesh would fire on the animals which came out. After walking around 500 m, the deceased shook the bushes. During the process, Ramesh thought Govind was a wild boar and fired at him. Govind collapsed at the spot and was shifted to the district headquarters hospital, Dhenkanal, where doctors declared him dead.
“After discovering the deceased’s condition, they attempted to conceal the true nature of the incident by reporting it as a case of intentional homicide. Subsequent investigation, however, revealed the true involvement of the accused and deceased. Further investigation into the matter is underway,” a police release said.