Mumbai Sanitation Worker Accidentally Killed In Alleged SGNP Boar Hunt; Police Suspect Body Cremated Without Post-Mortem

A municipal sanitation worker was accidentally shot dead during an alleged illegal wild boar hunt in Mumbai’s Sanjay Gandhi National Park on Monday night.

The police suspect that the group that was allegedly on a hunting expedition tried to cover up the killing by cremating the worker, Vijay Sukharu Sapte, without informing the authorities or carrying out a post-mortem examination, the Hindustan Times reported. Sapte was said to have been among the seven men, all of them residents of tribal hamlets with the SGNP, who had taken part in the expedition.

A private doctor from Mira Road had allegedly issued a death certificate claiming that Sapte died of a heart attack.

The incident

On Monday night, some members of the group had reportedly mistaken Sapte for a wild animal and shot him, leading to his death. Two other members, Kunal Shelar and Kalpesh Dhangala, were also said to have been injured in a similar manner. They are being treated at a private hospital in Kashimira, the newspaper reported.

The group members took Sapte to a nearby hospital, where he was declared dead. They subsequently approached the Mira Road doctor who issued the certificate claiming that he died of a heart attack.

FIR and arrests

The police have arrested three members of the group, as well as the private doctor. They have been booked for murder and other offences under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Hindustan Times reported.