Bhubaneswar: A 16-year-old poacher was shot dead by another poacher while trying to hunt a wild animal using a country-made gun at Tikabali forest in Kandhamal district on Saturday night.The incident came to light on Sunday morning after nearby villagers saw the body. The poacher, who fired, fled with another man.Samir Kumar Behera, the inspector-in-charge of Tikabali police station, said the deceased was identified as Bibhuti Kahara, 16, but the two other poachers, one who fired the shot, fled the spot. “We have launched a manhunt to nab the two others, who are known to be adults,” IIC told TOI.Police said carrying a country-made gun, three persons stepped out of Tikabali village at 9 pm on Saturday and entered the nearby forest in search of an animal for bush meat (maybe rabbit, wild boar and Indian hare).“The bullet hit the right eye of Kahara and prima facie, he died instantly although the post-mortem report is yet to come. Whether it was an accidental firing or a targeted one, arrest and interrogation of the accused will reveal,” said a police officer.Information obtained from the deceased’s family has preliminarily revealed that the trio, known to one another, ventured into the forest for hunting an animal.
