Chennai, Sep 22 (IANS): In a tragic incident, three persons including a Class 7 student were electrocuted to death when they inadvertently stepped onto an illegal electric fence erected to prevent wild boars from entering into the farmlands.

The incident occurred in Perumpattu village at the foothills of Yelagiri hills near Jolarpet town in Tamil Nadu's Tirupathur district on Sunday.

Police said the deceased persons were identified as K. Singaram (45), an ayurveda practitioner, his son S. Lokesh (15) and S. Karipriyan (65) who is a farm help of Singaram.

A country-made weapon, explosives, torch lights and nets were also recovered from the spot.

Singaram and his son Lokesh belong to Mookkannoor village near Jolarpettai town whereas Karipriyan belongs to Perumapattu village in Yelagiri Hills.

Police after a preliminary inquiry revealed that Singaram, his son Lokesh and Karipriyan ventured into reserve forests in the hills to hunt small wild animals like rabbits and spotted deer in the early hours on Sunday.

They were returning from the reserve forest to the farmland in Perumapattu village when they accidentally stepped onto the illegal electrical fence.

Police also found that the farmland where the incident occurred belongs to K. Murugan who has signed a lease agreement and given the farmland to another farmer S. Nidhi.

Police said that Nidhi has been cultivating cereals in the three-acre plot for more than a year.

It may be noted that as the village is located in the foothills of the reserve forest, the farmer has erected illegal electric fencing around the plot to prevent wild animals from destroying the crops.

Karusalipettu Police reached the spot after they were alerted by the village’s headman and the bodies were sent to the Government Taluk Hospital in Tirupattur town for post-mortem.

Police have registered a case and an investigation is underway.