JAMSHEDPUR, May 16 -- The fully grown elephant who was injured in a Maoist IED blast about 11 days ago inside Saranda Forests died late Thursday night during treatment, officials said on Friday. With this, five elephants have died in Saranda Forests after being hit by the IEDs planted by the banned LWE outfit CPI (Maoist) across Saranda and Kolhan Forest Divisions in West Singhbhum district of Jharkhand. "The big tusker was probably hit by an IED about 10-11 days before villagers spotted him near Kolbonga jungles in Saranda on May 4 last. Subsequently, we reached the spot and started his treatment. The meta carpal bones and phalanges of his right foot were blown off in the blast. There was heavy blood loss and infection. We couldn't even tranquilise him as the blood volume was very low. Eventually, he succumbed to his injuries late Thursday night like the other ones hit by IEDs earlier," Dr Sanjay Gholatkar, the Saranda division veterinary doctor, said. Dr Gholatkar further said that this was the fifth elephant to die due to the IED blasts inside Saranda Forests since July 5, 2025. "We had been trying to bring the elephant to roadside during the past 11 days. He must have been injured 20 days ago and we could spot them on only May 4 after he dragged himself downhill during that period. We had succeeded in taking him to 2 km from the roadside so that he can be shifted for better treatment. But he died," lamented Dr Gholatkar. As per records, the first elephant to have died in Maoist IED blast was on July 5, 2025, second tusker died after being hit by an IED on July 10, 2025, the dead body of the third one was found on July 27, 2025, the fourth one died during treatment on October 12, 2025 and the fifth one died on May 14, 2026....