Overview
- The herd of five returned to Barkipunnu around 3 a.m. after villagers had driven it away earlier in the evening, according to local accounts.
- Three members of the Karmali family were killed outside their home and two relatives were seriously injured and hospitalized, officials said.
- The Bokaro divisional forest officer said the elephants were seeking stored paddy and that compensation procedures for the bereaved have begun.
- Forest teams are tracking the herd and additional units are being mobilized from nearby districts to monitor movements and prevent further incidents.
- The attack follows a January 25 fatality in the same block and is part of a statewide spike that officials say has claimed more than 18 lives since January.