Arikomban, rogue elephant attacks people in Theni, Tamil Nadu.

Arikomban, a rogue tusker that was moved from Chinnakanal in the Keralan Idukki district to the Periyar Tiger Reserve last month, wandered into Cumbum in Tamil Nadu’s Theni district on Saturday and attacked one person while also causing property damage.

The jumbo initially arrived to a populous region on Saturday in Kerala’s Kumily. The elephant wandered so far from its home that it eventually came within 100 metres of homes in the Rosapookandam neighbourhood of Kumily. By firing into the air and generating noise, forest rangers managed to drive the elephant back into the forest.

Then, on Friday night, he travelled to the Lower Camp, where he allegedly burned crops in the Kochi, Kerala, area of Kazhuthumuttu.

Despite using the GPS collar attached to the fugitive jumbo to track his whereabouts when he was kidnapped near Munnar by a special task force as part of ‘Operation Arikomban,’ forest department officials were unable to apprehend the beast.

Even as videos of the elephant running around went viral, local authorities issued warnings over the public address system warning people to stay indoors while the untamed pachyderm roamed the streets.

Even as the elephant circled the town bordering Kerala, terrified locals could be seen scurrying for cover.

According to authorities, it only attacked Paulraj, who is currently receiving treatment in a government facility.

‘Cumbum’ N Eramakrishnan, a local MLA, brought up the issue with the Forest Department officials, and plans to tranquillize it or tame it using a trained ‘kumki’ elephant were being discussed.

The elephant, well-known for its attacks on nearby Kerala ration shops and love of rice, also wrecked a town autorickshaw and toppled a fence built to surround a plot of property.

Arikomban is to be arrested by state agents, who are to afterwards release him in a forested area. Kumkis from Annamalai, specialised vehicles from Hossur, and veterinarians from Madurai to sedate Arikomban are travelling to Theni. Additionally, Arikomban’s trunk has been hurt.