After two police officials were found dead in a field near a training camp in Kerala’s Palakkad, one person has been arrested by the state police. Upon investigating the case, it was found that the two officials — havildars Mohandas and Ashokan — died of electrocution after they touched a live wire meant to deter wild boars in the paddy field next to the police camp, police said.
The two officials had been missing since the night of Wednesday, May 18, after they did not report for duty at the Muttikulangara police camp in Palakkad district. Their bodies were found the following morning in a nearby paddy field, owned by one Suresh. Following the deaths, Suresh was arrested on Friday, May 20, as per the police.
District police chief R Vishwanath told the media that a case has been registered against Suresh under various sections of the Indian Penal Code including the provision for destroying evidence. "It seems like the police officials were electrocuted from the live wire that was kept to deter wild boars. Suresh saw bodies in the night, got panicked and took them to the place where they were found in the morning. He also left an umbrella and other items near the bodies. He left the place the next morning itself," the SP told the media.
Police said the officers were electrocuted at Suresh’s property, and that the accused allegedly took the bodies around 500 metres away and dropped them along with mobile phones and other objects of the officers. The district police chief said Suresh is a history sheeter, and has similar cases of using live wires to catch wild boars against him.
A case has been registered under Sections 304 (Causing death by negligence) and 201(Causing disappearance of evidence of offence) of the IPC. A case under the Electricity Act has also been registered.