“A 50-year-old woman was killed by an elephant on Sunday evening at Kudu, while three persons in the age group of 30 and 65 were killed at Bhandra on Monday morning. “The distance between Bhandra and Kudu is around 25 km. So, it is possible that all four killings were made by the same elephant. However, it is yet to be ascertained,” said Lohardaga divisional forest officer (DFO) Arvind Kumar.

The bodies have been sent for post-mortem examination. An immediate relief of Rs 25,000 each will be given to the kins of the deceased on Monday, while Rs 3.75 lakh as compensation will be provided to each victim’s family after completing the government procedures, the DFO said.

Kumar said that there has not been a regular movement of elephants in Bhandra and Kudu areas. “So, people here are not habituated to dealing with elephants. They go close to a pachyderm in their excitement. However, we are making people aware not to disturb the animal,” Kumar said.

Man-elephant conflicts have spiked in the state, with reports pointing out that 133 people have died in jumbo attacks in 2021-22, a steep climb from 84 in 2020-21.?In its RTI reply to advocate Satya Prakash, the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate recently stated that 462 people have died in man-elephant conflicts in five years since 2017 in Jharkhand, including 133 in 2021-22.