Gumla: An elephant trampled an elderly man to death at Puso village under Sisai block in the district early on Friday. The deceased was identified as Ravi Mahto, 65.“My father went to the Pokhratoli Ekamba roadside to answer the call of nature at 5 am when a wild elephant attacked and killed him,” said Ravi’s son, Durga Mahato.“The lone tusker entered the area from the bordering Bhandra block of Lohardaga district on Thursday night. It was a sudden encounter between a man and a tusker,” said forest beat officer Rakesh Mishra.“We paid Rs 25,000 to his son as part of compensation at Sadar Hospital, where the body was brought for post-mortem examination. A team of forest staff visited the spot after the department received information,” Mishra said.“The remaining compensation of Rs 3.75 lakh will be paid to the family after completion of the official formalities,” he said.Recently, an elephant herd was spotted in the same area, but later it moved towards the Bhandra area of Lohardaga from where forest officials drove them away.In 2025, three persons were killed by tuskers in Sisai and Bharno blocks.Two persons were killed by an elephant on April 6, 2025, at Chharda village under Sisai block, while another man was trampled to death by a tusker at Morgaon village under adjoining Bharno block on Nov 21 last year.
