Marayur: Frequent sightings of the rogue tusker Padayappa along the Marayur–Munnar road and nearby tea estates have put residents on high alert, with the Forest Department issuing a warning amid rising safety concerns.

Padayappa has returned to the Marayur region after a gap of several months, triggering fresh concern among residents. In the past three days alone, the elephant has damaged a tourist car and attempted to block and attack a private bus, with several people narrowly escaping dangerous encounters.

The tusker was spotted by estate workers moving through the 13th division forest area in Thalayar around 11 am on Thursday. Following the sighting, workers kept away from the area and continued their work in tea plantations at a safer distance.

However, plantation workers have alleged that no Forest Department officials reached the spot for monitoring, despite the elephant being sighted during the daytime.

Eight more wild elephants join Padayappa
Meanwhile, panic has intensified in Thalayar after Padayappa was joined by a herd of eight wild elephants, with locals reporting that the group is now moving together through the area. The additional elephants, including calves, are said to have arrived unexpectedly on Thursday evening while Padayappa was stationed in a tea plantation near the forest fringe.

Though the herd, including Padayappa, has since retreated into the forest, plantation workers warn that they could return at any time to tea estates, labour lines, and nearby human settlements.