Theni: Cumbum resident Palraj who was under treatment after being injured in the bedlam caused by wild tusker Arikomban breathed his last at Theni Govt. Medical College hospital on Tuesday morning. The wild elephant attacked Balraj, an autorickshaw driver when it strayed into Cumbum on Saturday.
In the visuals, Arikomban was seen destroying an autorickshaw. It is learnt that Balraj was inside the autorickshaw. He was injured after falling while trying to escape from the violent elephant. According to reports, Palraj suffered severe head injury and internal bleeding in the fall.
His body will be handed over to his relatives after post-mortem.
Though the Tamil Nadu Forest Department has initiated a mission to tranquilise the tusker and shift it to Meghamalai Tiger Reseve, the task force failed to execute the operation as the elephant retreated to the deep forest.
Notably, the rogue tusker named 'Arikomban' (Ari in Malayalam is rice and Komban means tusker) has been relocated from Kerala after protests from the local people. The elephant has reportedly killed 11 people and destroyed 300 houses and shops in the Chinnakanal area of Idukki district.
The elephant was relocated around 100 km away from Chinnakanal to Periyar Tiger Reserve after being tranquilised and radio-collared. But it continued to walk and entered Tamil Nadu forest range. Forest officials of Kerala and Tamil Nadu are monitoring the movement of the elephant.
