Man shot dead by accident during illegal hunt in Thane's Chena forest; doctor among six arrested

A shocking incident has come to light in the Chena forest near Ghodbunder in Thane. In a group that had gone into the forest for illegal hunting, a gun was fired owing to a misunderstanding and one of the group's own members was killed. Police have arrested six people in the case, including a doctor.

The deceased is Vijay Sukhru Sapte, who worked as a sanitation worker with the Mira-Bhayandar Municipal Corporation. According to the information available, a battery-powered light flashed in the dark and one man mistook it for the glowing eyes of an animal. Without checking, he pulled the trigger of the gun and the bullet hit Sapte squarely in the chest. He collapsed on the spot and died there.

The incident took place on the night of October 19. Some people had gone to the Chena beat of Sanjay Gandhi National Park to hunt illegally. They had guns, pellets and batteries to help them see their way in the forest. After reaching the forest, the group split into two parties. During this, the light from one party's battery fell on the other party and was taken for the eyes of an animal.

It has been stated that Sapte's minor son was also present at the spot when the firing took place. Two other men, Kalpesh Dhangala and Kunal Shelar, were injured in the firing. They were admitted to a private hospital in Kashimira for treatment.

When the others realised that a man from their own group had died, they panicked. The investigation has found that, fearing trouble if they informed the police, they tried to dispose of Sapte's body themselves. He was cremated without telling the police anything.

The matter did not end there. It is alleged that a forged medical certificate was also obtained to show that Sapte had died of a heart attack. This has emerged in the investigation.

The local Kashimira police and a team of the forest department together uncovered the incident. Police have arrested six people in all, including Dr Rajesh Palande, who issued the forged certificate.

The police investigation is still on. They are trying to establish whom the illegal weapon used in the firing belonged to, who exactly fired the shot, and what role the other members of the hunting group played.