An adult female elephant was electrocuted at Birpara in Alipurduar district on Wednesday morning.
The jumbo was pregnant. The elephant had strayed into a paddy field near Khas Basti in Birpara by the Indo-Bhutan border.
The owner of the field allegedly hooked power from a high tension line and laid the open wire on the field to stop jumbos. The elephant died on the spot when it came in contact with the wire. The residents of Khas Basti found the pachyderm and informed the forest department. “The marks on the body indicate electrocution. However, it can only be ascertained after autopsy,” a forest official said. “If the reports confirm electrocution, we will take legal steps against the land owner,” he said.