TIRUPATHUR: After an Andhra Pradesh girl was trampled to death by a straying tusker at a village in Kuppam bordering Tamil Nadu, officials of the forest department have stepped up their vigil in the woods in the periphery of Tirupathur division in Tamil Nadu.
M Sonia, 17, was sleeping with her parents in their farm located at Nadumoor near Paruthikollai, Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh, when the tusker trampled her to death. The incident occurred in the wee hours of Thursday, sources said.
Forest and police department personnel from Kuppam visited the spot and recovered the body before sending it for autopsy. The family was sleeping in the farm to guard the agricultural produce from smaller animals, sources stated.
Since Paruthikollai is located close to the Tamil Nadu border adjoining Natrampalli in Tirupathur district, forest officials of the district increased patrolling to ensure the elephant did not move inside the Tamil Nadu forests.
Special squads have been keeping vigil in the area.
“We have formed special squads to monitor the area for movement of the tusker. These teams are patrolling the border areas,” said KR Cholarajan, Forest Range Officer, Tirupathur.
Officials of Krishnagiri district too are patrolling the border areas since Tirupathur and Krishnagiri forest divisions share borders with Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh, he noted.
The elephant had strayed from Chittoor through an unexpected route before trampling the girl to death at Nadumoor. Efforts were being taken to chase it away from residential areas.