Munnar: In a heart-pounding encounter, an auto driver found himself face to face with two tigers on the outskirts of Munnar town. R Ayya Durai was driving his auto through Kannimala Top division in the wee hours of Friday when he allegedly spotted the tigers emerging from the nearby tea plantation.

According to Durai, it was his presence of mind that saved him. He stopped the vehicle completely to avoid escalating the situation. The predators stared at him and then padded across the road.
However, the Nedumkandam Police, along with forest officials, surveyed the area but failed to confirm the presence of tigers yet.
Speculations are rife, and reports of the sighting have created a stir among the residents of Ponnanganni near Kailasappara in Nedumkandam. According to them, a tiger was spotted in the cardamom plantation belonging to Sabu, a resident of Keezhakunnathu House in Ponnanganni.