Forest officials found two gunshot injuries on the carcass and launched a manhunt. "Pradhan is a small-time poacher. We arrested him and seized the gun," said divisional forest officer (Athagarh) Arun Mishra. The DFO said the elephant was killed in retaliation.

"The poacher told us that he had gone to the forest for hunting and encountered the female elephant. As the pachyderm was about to attack him, he fired on her," said forest officials. A herd of five elephants was moving in the forest for last few days and the animal killed might be one from the herd. This is the third such incident of elephant poaching in the forest division since January. Earlier, two calves killed by poachers.