The head of the county in which the incident occurred stated that, most likely, all five people were victims of one elephant. It is assumed that the animal attacked everyone who fell in its path.
According to local villager Rajen Rabha, the male elephant was dubbed "Laden" by locals after the late al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.
"But that was not all. In the past Laden has also attacked our villages and killed people and destroyed our paddy fields," the resident said as quoted by the RTE media outlet.
After the deadly incident, the elephant may be tranquilised and may have moved to a different forest without humans living nearby.
Elephant attacks on humans are not uncommon in India. In April five people were trampled by an animal in two villages in Orissa state.