The body of a 37-year-old man, Raja of Mettur in Salem district, who went missing after an alleged shootout by Karnataka Forest Department personnel, was found floating in River Palar on the Tamil Nadu – Karnataka border in Erode district on Friday.
On February 14, a group of people from Mettur and Dharmapuri allegedly went hunting in a forest in Karnataka, located on the banks of River Palar. Relatives of these people later claimed that the Karnataka Forest Department personnel opened fire on the group. While the others escaped, Raja sustained bullet injuries, and was missing. Members of the group said Raja had jumped into the river to escape the gunfire, but had not been seen since. Search efforts to trace him had failed, and his family claimed that he was shot dead by the Karnataka personnel.
On Friday, the decomposed body of Raja was found in the river, in an area falling under the Bargur police station limits. As the news spread, his relatives gathered there in large numbers. Later, the body was taken to the Government Hospital in Mettur.
