Hubballi, Jul 8 (IANS): Forgetting to wash his hands after spraying insecticide and consuming food has cost a forest officer his life in Hubballi, Karnataka, according to sources.

The deceased is identified as forest officer Yogesh Nayak, a resident of Bada village in Kumta taluk.

According to police sources, Nayak, working in the forest department in Virnoli division, had sprayed pesticide to clear weeds and insects in the Teak farm on June 27. After this, he forgot to wash his hands and ate lunch. After returning home, the officer complained of stomach irritation the next day.

He consulted a private doctor who prescribed antibiotics. However, when the symptoms did not subside, Nayak drove to Hubballi and got admitted to a hospital.

The sources claimed that during checkup, it was found that his vital body organs such as kidney, liver and lungs were damaged. He was later shifted to another hospital but by that time Nayak had slipped into coma. The family had got him shifted to the KIMS hospital in Hubballi for the treatment. However, the officer succumbed to the infection on July 7. The officer is survived by wife and one child.

The police have taken up the investigation and stated that they are awaiting the post-mortem report to ascertain the exact cause of death.