Berhampur: In a shocking incident, an elderly man was hacked to death by a neighbour for allegedly hitting a pet mongoose in Polsara in Odisha's Ganjam district. 

The incident took place at Patharapalli village within Kabisuryanagar police limits. The deceased was identified as Krusna Chandra Mohanty. The accused Narayan Das is currently absconding. 

As per reports, Krusna came home at around 8 am to find that Narayan's pet mongoose had eaten some of his chicken. He asked him to restrain the mongoose and keep it tied. But when the mongoose again entered his home, Krusna hit the animal after which an argument with the neighbour ensued. Soon a heated exchange of words broke out and escalated into a full-blown fight. Narayan lost his cool and in a fit of rage attacked Krusna with a sword. He kept hacking the elderly man till he collapsed on the ground and died on the spot. 

Police begin probe

Following the incident, Narayan immediately fled the scene. Police on getting information, arrived at the spot and started investigation. They said efforts are on to track the accused man and he will be nabbed soon. 

The incident has highlighted the growing intolerance among people over trivial everyday issues. A few days back, a 21 year-old youth Tapas Das had died of electrocution while trying to pluck flowers from a neighbour's garden in Nilagiri in Balasore. 

The homeowner had rigged the flower plants with a live electric wire to prevent theft, leading to the fatal shock, resulting in outrage, police investigation, and the arrest of the homeowner, Kuna Rout, for negligence and potentially malicious setup. 

Also read: Six arrested after man's murder over ancestral property in Odisha's Puri