PATNA: Indian wildlife officers are hunting a rampaging wild elephant blamed for killing at least 20 people and injuring 15 others in the forests of Jharkhand, villagers and officials said on Tuesday.

The elephant, a lone bull, is reported to have gone on the rampage for nine days beginning in early January, creating panic in the rural West Singhbhum district.

“We are trying to trace and rescue this violent wild elephant that killed so many people,” government forest officer Aditya Narayan said, confirming the toll of 20 dead. Children and the elderly are among the dead, as well as a professional elephant handler, known as a mahout. But after wreaking a trail of destruction, it had not been spotted since Friday, despite multiple patrols in the area.

Officials said search teams, aided by drones, are combing dense forest tracts, including a national reserve in neighbouring Odisha state. Fear has driven residents of more than 20 villages to abandon their farms or barricade themselves indoors at night, elected village head Pratap Chachar said.

“A police team, or forest official vehicle, visits in the night to provide essential help to villagers,” Chachar said. Hundreds of thousands of Indians are affected each year by crop-raiding elephants.

Asian elephants are now restricted to just 15 percent of their original habitat. The usually shy animals are coming into increasing contact with humans because of rapidly expanding settlements and growing forest disturbance, including mining operations.

Published in Dawn, January 14th, 2026