MADIKERI: A herd of wild elephants attacked an autorickshaw at Bajjegolli near Siddapura in Madikeri on Sunday. Auto driver Mohammed was ferrying two passengers from Bajjegolli to Siddapura town when the incident took place.
As soon as they spotted the elephants, they abandoned the autorickshaw and fled the spot. Onlookers said the elephants rushed towards the auto and completely damaged it and later went into an estate nearby. However, no one was injured in the incident.
According to Bajjegolli residents, the forest department was allegedly chasing out these elephants from a nearby estate. The residents also Bajjegolli complained that they were unaware that the forest department was chasing elephants.
They also demanded immediate compensation for the auto driver. The villagers complained that the wild elephant attack has become a routine near Siddapura and students and villagers are scared to step out even during the day.The Siddapura police, along with forest officer Devaiah visited the spot.
Estate labourers attacked
In Guhya village in Madikeri, a lone elephant attacked two estate labourers, injuring them seriously. Raja, a worker at Tata Coffee Estate was on his bike with another labourer when they were confronted by a lone wild tusker. They were chased through the estate, according to sources.