Electrician trampled to death in Erode

COIMBATORE: A 32-year-old electrician was trampled to death by a wild elephant in Erode. The deceased, Periasamy, from Vinoba Nagar near Gunderipallam in TN Palayam, was bound for home by walking on Friday night, when he came under the wild elephant attack, and his body was recovered on Saturday.

Villagers noticed a wild elephant had strayed into a farm in Vinoba Nagar and informed the forest department.

“Soon, a team arrived and took efforts to drive away the wild elephant back into the forest area by firing crackers. It then disappeared into another farm and attacked Periasamy, who came by the way,” said a staff.

As he succumbed to injuries on the spot, the family members went in search on Saturday and were shocked to find his body on the farm. The elephant then retreated into the forest area.

Meanwhile, the forest department in Gudalur is in a state of readiness to capture the wild elephant, named ‘Radhakrishnan’, involved in frequent negative interactions with human beings.

More than 60 staff of the forest department have been camping in Gudalur to track the wild elephant to commence the operation.

"Works to build a ‘kraal’ have been completed at the Abhayaranyam elephant camp in Mudumalai to lodge the wild elephant after its capture. As the wild elephant is now stationed in undulating terrain, it will be darted with a sedative once the animal moves to a suitable location. It will then be taken to Mudumalai,” said an official.

Four kumkis have also been deployed to assist the forest department in the capture operation. Efforts were taken to capture the elephant after it was believed to have killed a 62-year-old tea estate worker at a private farm a few days ago near ‘O’ Valley.

The elephant, which has been straying into their locality over the past ten years, is said to be behind a slew of other attacks in the region.