Forest guard allegedly killed by pickup van in Madhya Pradesh; suspect on the run

Singrauli (Madhya Pradesh) [India], August 14 (ANI): A forest guard was allegedly killed after being run over by a pickup vehicle in Madhya Pradesh’s Singrauli district, a police official said.

The incident occurred near a Nullah in Darbari village, under the Chitrangi police station’s jurisdiction, approximately 80 km from the district headquarters, on Tuesday morning, the officer added.

Superintendent of Police (SP, Singrauli) Nivedita Gupta told ANI, “We received information around 9 am on Tuesday that a forest guard, Sheetal Singh Gond, aged around 35-40 years, had died in an accident. However, by around 2 pm, after speaking with witnesses, it became clear that he had been struck by a pickup van and that the accused tried to make the murder appear like an accident.”

Upon receiving this information, a police team was immediately dispatched to search for the suspect, identified as Kamlesh Saket, a resident of Jhakharawal village, also under Chitrangi police station’s jurisdiction. He works as a vegetable vendor, SP Gupta said.

“A dispute between the accused and the forest guard on Monday also came to light. Following this, the accused searched for the forest guard on Tuesday morning. He then struck him head-on with his vehicle, resulting in the forest guard’s death,” she added.

The police are actively searching for the accused, and the pickup van will be seized upon his arrest. No prior criminal record has been found for the suspect, the officer noted.

According to reports, the dispute between the accused and the forest guard occurred during the weekly market in Dhuha on Monday, August 12, over the price of vegetables. The following day, the accused allegedly struck the forest guard from behind while he was riding a motorcycle to work near the Nullah in Darbari village. The accused then reportedly turned his vehicle around, ran over the forest guard from the front, and dragged the body a short distance. After committing the crime, the suspect fled the scene.