Naveen was searching for the traps when his leg got entangled on an 11 KV live wire in the forest area of Bhadradri Kothagudem district of Telangana. (Credit: Wikimedia Commons)A forest guard was electrocuted after coming in contact with a live-wire trap set up by poachers to kill wild animals in the forest area of Bhadradri Kothagudem district of Telangana. The incident took place on Tuesday night, between 9 pm and 10 pm, district forest officer Sidharth Vikram Singh told The Indian Express.On the day he was killed, forest beat officer B Naveen, 37, who has been with the department since 2019, had managed to remove at least six such traps.He first got a call on Tuesday afternoon with a tip-off on poachers laying electric wire traps in Paloncha division. “He went to the spot in the afternoon and removed at least six such traps and came back. He was again tipped off about poachers later in the evening,” Singh said.Also read | Not poaching, but ‘illegal wires’: MP govt submits report on 8 tiger deaths in Bandhavgarh since NovemberDuring the second tip-off, he was told that he could catch the poachers red-handed “if he visits immediately”. “With the help of six other personnel, Naveen set out into the forest and never came back alive,” Singh said. Naveen was searching for the traps when his leg got entangled on an 11 KV live wire, Singh added. “He immediately collapsed and died on the spot,” Singh said.Naveen is survived by his wife and two toddlers, ages between 1 and 3 years, the forest department said. Local police booked a case in connection with the incident and have taken up investigation. Efforts are on to identify and catch the persons who set up the electric trap.Why the animals are poached?Bhadradri Kothagudem district has 10 lakh acres of forest. Each beat officer is expected to cover by foot 1,000 acres of land to prevent any illegal activity in the forest including poaching.The live wire traps are laid by poachers who want to trap animals for meat, forest officials said. “Wild boars are easy kills. Sometimes, they also get Sambar (deer) and sloth bear,” Singh said. Sloth bear’s bile duct is extracted as it is believed to have medicinal properties. “Even musk deer are trapped using live wire for musk,” said Singh.Story continues below this adThe officer, however, said that guards getting killed by poachers’ traps are a rare occurrence in Telangana forests. “Live wire has started being used only recently to trap animals,” Singh said.Nikhila Henry is an Assistant Editor at The Indian Express, based in Hyderabad. With a career spanning 17 years, she has established herself as an authoritative voice on South Indian affairs, specialising in the complex intersections of politics, education, and social justice. Experience & Career: Nikhila commenced her journalism career in 2007 as an education correspondent for The Times of India in Hyderabad,where she gained recognition for her coverage of student politics. Her professional trajectory includes a four-year tenure at The Hindu, where she focused on minority affairs and social welfare. In 2019, she took on a leadership role as the South Bureau Chief for The Quint, where she directed regional coverage across all five South Indian states. Her expansive career also includes a tenure at the BBC in New Delhi and contributions to prestigious international outlets such as The Sunday Times (London) and HuffPost India. Expertise & Focus Areas Nikhila’s reportage is marked by a deep-seated understanding of grassroots movements and institutional policy. Her core focus areas include: Regional Politics: Comprehensive analysis of the socio-political dynamics across South India. Education & Student Movements: Chronicling the evolution of Indian academics and the rise of youth activism. Minority Affairs: Rigorous reporting on the welfare, rights, and challenges facing marginalized communities. National Beat: Elevating regional stories to national prominence through investigative and on-ground reporting. Authoritativeness & Trust A respected figure in Indian media, Nikhila is not only a seasoned reporter but also an accomplished author and editor. She authored the critically acclaimed book The Ferment: Youth Unrest in India and edited Caste is Not a Rumour, a collection of writings by Rohith Vemula. Her dual background in daily news reporting and long-form authorship allows her to provide readers with a nuanced, historically-informed perspective on contemporary Indian society. Find all stories by Nikhila Henry here. ... Read MoreStay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram