Wild elephant kills 35-year-old man near Kotagiri

A 35-year-old man was killed in a wild elephant attack on the Kookalthorai–Kambattikombai Road near Kotagiri in the Nilgiris district.
The deceased, Praveen, son of Ganapathi, belonged to Mathampalayam near Mettupalayam. He had travelled to visit his grandmother, who lives in Indira Nagar, Kookalthorai, near Kotagiri.
Praveen was walking along the road on Friday evening when a wild elephant emerged from bushes and attacked him. Despite attempting to flee, he was reportedly surrounded and fatally attacked at the spot.
Passers-by later found his body by the roadside and noticed elephant footprints nearby. They alerted the police and Forest Department officials, who rushed to the scene and identified the deceased. The police recovered the body and sent it to Kotagiri Government Hospital for a post-mortem examination. A case has been registered, and further investigation is under way. Forest officials are also examining the area to establish the circumstances of the attack.
Residents of Kookalthorai said wild elephant movement had increased in the area, causing fear, particularly at night. They urged the Forest Department to intensify surveillance in forest-bordering villages from evening until early morning to prevent further incidents.