After killing 2, rogue elephant returns to Krishnagiri

KRISHNAGIRI: The Krishnagiri district forest officials asked villagers on the forest fringes not to venture out of their houses during night due to the arrival of a rogue elephant from Karnataka after killing two people in that state.

In the early hours of Friday, the rogue tusker was spotted at Sappadi village, near Hosur. The jumbo crossed the Chennai-Bengaluru national highway and now stays in the Sanamavu reserved forest here.

Hence, the forest here have asked the villagers not to venture out of their houses during night and also not to enter the forest for cattle grazing. “Villagers were asked not to venture out of their houses or enter forest due to presence of the rogue jumbo in the Sanamavu reserved forest,” S.Sugumar, Hosur forest range officer, told DC. “We are trying to unite the wild jumbo with a herd of around 60 jumbos staying in the place close to Sanamavu RF,” he said.

According to Sugumar, the rogue elephant on Wednesday migrated neighbouring Karnataka from Krishnagiri and stayed in the reserved forest there, 25-km from Shoolagiri.

In Karnataka, the jumbo trampled two people to death before returning to Krishnagiri again. The first victim was 30-year-old Sumithara of Maralahalli village. She was caught by the jumbo and killed while the woman was returning home after answering nature’s call at 7 am on Thursday, sources said.

The second victim Narayanasamy, 45, of Hosahalli village who was killed by the elephant around 8 am, one hour after Sumithara was trampled to death. Angry villagers goaded the jumbo by bursting crackers and throwing stones leading to the re-entry of the elephant into Krishnagiri reserved forest.