TIRUPATI: A lone elephant, strayed into Jandla village in Pileru mandal of Annamayya district, triggered panic among residents on Friday.
As per the forest officials, the jumbo is believed to have wandered from the Seshachalam forest range in Yerravaripalem mandal. It reportedly moved from Ganugachintha in Rompicherla mandal, before entering Jandla.
Later, the elephant passed through Gudarevupalle and crossed the Madanapalle–Tirupati road near the GV Srinath Reddy stone crushing unit, eventually reaching Erraguntlapalle Panchayat.
Pileru Sub-Inspector Lokesh and Forest Section Officer (FSO) Sabiha Sultana, along with their teams, rushed to the affected areas after receiving alerts from residents of Jandla and Gudarevupalle.
FSO Sabiha Sultana said, “We are tracking the elephant’s movements through footprints. Once its route is confirmed, we will take necessary steps to control the situation, especially at night.”
People have been warned not to enter fields or orchards alone. The elephant caused minimal damage - a single banana tree near Avulayagaripalli. No significant crop loss was recorded, much to the villagers’ relief.
The incident has revived fears among locals, who recall a fatal elephant attack near Bandarlapalli in the same mandal in the past.