PATHANAMTHITTA: Forest department officials on Wednesday intensified the search for Narayanan Namboothiri aka Narayana Swami and five others who trespassed into Ponnambalamedu and performed pooja there flouting existing traditions.
Pampa Range officer G Ajikumar, who leads the investigation, said that they have registered a case against eight persons in connection with the incident. Two of them are employees of the Kerala Forest Development Corporation (KFDC). They have been arrested for helping the accused perform pooja there. However, the main accused Narayanan Namboothiri, 48, of Thrissur, and five others are still at large. The investigation team suspects that he, along with the other accused, escaped to Tamil Nadu after a search was launched to nab them.
“We suspect that Narayanan Namboothiri, along with two persons hailing from Kumily and three men from Tamil Nadu, trespassed into Ponnambalamedu on May 8. They reached Ponnambalamedu through deep forest after traversing the Vallakkadavu -Gavi route with the help of temporary employees of KFDC Rajendran, 51, and Sabu Mathews, 49,” said the range officer.
On Monday, officials of Pachakkanam Forest Station under Pampa Forest Range of Periyar Tiger Reserve (PTR) registered a case against Narayanan Namboothiri and seven others, including two KFDC employees, for trespassing into Ponnambalamedu and performing pooja there. Ponnambalamedu is a sacred area situated near Sabarimala Lord Ayyappa temple and entry to the place is prohibited.