Nilambur: A night-time fishing trip turned into a harrowing ordeal for five cousins in the remote hamlet of Vellakkatta near Nilambur, after a 14-year-old boy was electrocuted by a live snare wire illegally set across a stream to trap wild boars. But amid the chaos and grief, the sheer courage and presence of mind of the other boys saved two lives, one of them unconscious, the other moments from death.

Ananthu, also known as Jithu, a Class X student at Christ King Higher Secondary School in Manimooli, died after he tripped over and fell on the electrified wire drawn inches above the shallow stream. The live cable was reportedly connected to an illegally drawn power line, said Vazhikkadavu Station House Officer, Inspector Dhananjaya Das T V.

Four of the five cousins- children of four brothers- are residents of Vellakatta, a remote hamlet surrounded by forest and Karakodan river, in Vazhikkadavu grama panchayat in Nilambur assembly segment. The fifth cousin, Dibeesh V P (27), a sculptor and fine arts graduate from Hyderabad Central University, came to Vellakatta for vacation and was supposed to return on Monday, June 9.

On Saturday, they returned home after a game of football around 7 pm, had tea, took the fishing net and went out for the nightout by the stream. They usually walk through the shallow stream, a route they knew well.

Around 8 pm, while returning home via another direction, Ananthu tripped on the live wire and fell on it, said Dibeesh. Maneesh (26), tile mason, walking behind Ananthu, managed to evade the wire and jump to the side.

"Before we realised what was happening, Ananthu started shivering and collapsed," said Dibeesh. Instinctively, Yadukrishnan (25), another cousin, tried to pull Ananthu away from the wire. But the current flung him backwards, rendering him unconscious.

That’s when Shanu made a desperate leap across the stream to reach Ananthu, but he too tripped on the same live wire. As his body began to convulse, the other cousins realised time was running out.

Maneesh grabbed his towel, tied it around Shanu’s wrist and tried to pull him out, but as the towel got wet and became risky to handle, he rushed to the village for help. Meanwhile, Dibeesh pulled off his lungi, tied it around Shanu’s wrist, and managed to drag him away from the wire.

Then he turned to Yadukrishnan. "He wasn’t breathing. I started pressing his chest, I don’t know for how long, but I didn't stop until he came alive,” said Dibeesh, describing how he performed CPR in the dark.

By the time residents arrived and pulled Ananthu out, he was unresponsive. "I think he was still alive," someone whispered. But it was too late.

The ambulance took Ananthu, Yadukrishnan and Shanu to the hospital. "I did not join them because I did not have any clothes on," said Dibeesh.

Shanu has since been declared out of danger, and Yadukrishnan is back home but still in shock.

Ayyappan, Maneesh's father, said the area often saw raids by wild boars and elephants but no one had ever seen electrified snares laid across streams here before. "Till 10 years ago, there were 22 houses here. Now, only we four brothers and our families live here," said Ayyappan.

Vazhikkadavu Inspector Das said the trap was allegedly set by Vineesh (39), a former auto driver from Putharipadam, 10 minutes walk from Ananthu's house. "He was 500 metres away and rushed over when he heard the commotion," he said.

Police said Vineesh illegally drew power from overhead lines and used it to electrify the snare. He is booked for culpable homicide under Section 105 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

If the act that caused the death was committed to kill, the punishment is life imprisonment or a minimum of five years, extendable up to ten years, along with a fine. However, if the act was done with the knowledge that it could likely cause death, but without the intention to kill, the punishment is up to ten years in prison and a fine, the officer said.

Ananthu's relatives said they don't know the antecedents of Vineesh. But neighbours alleged he had set snares before and is in the business of selling wild boar meat. But police said he only had one prior case filed during the Covid lockdown for violating restrictions.

Devaki, a relative of Ananthu, fears justice may be elusive. "Vineesh comes from a rich family. He’ll buy his way out," she said bitterly.

Tragically, this isn't the first incident. Two months ago, a coconut plucker named Ramakrishnan from Putharipadam was electrocuted while he was harvesting cassava. On May 26, Abdul Rashid met a similar fate near Nilambur.

Wild boars are common in this forest fringe region, and locals often resort to illegal traps and fencing to protect their crops. "But this wasn’t even a fence," Ayyappan.

The death against the backdrop of the Nilambur byelection sparked a political row, with the LDF and UDF blaming each other for lax forest and powerline enforcement. UDF activists staged a protest near Nilambur Taluk Hospital on Saturday night, blocking several vehicles, including one carrying CPI(M) politburo member A Vijayaraghavan. Police later cleared the protest using mild force.

All the four candidates, M Swaraj (LDF), Aryadan Shoukath (UDF), P V Anvar (Ind) and Mohan George (BJP) called on Ananthu's parents Suresh and Shobha and expressed their condolences. The boy has two elder sisters.