A lone tusker trampled a farmer Velumani (74) to death at Mettu Thottam in Pazhya Pudur near Periyanaickenpalayam in Coimbatore district on Wednesday (January 15, 2025) night.

It is learnt that the the victim was locking the gates of his farm when the incident took place. Animals having negative interactions with humans has been on the rise in almost all the seven ranges of the Coimbatore forest division. Either the elephants indulge in crop raid or claim human lives.

Based on a complaint, the Periyanaickenpalayam police recovered the body and sent it for post-mortem. The lone tusker raided the banana crops in the farm and stayed there for nearly an hour before it returned to the forest. The villagers have exhorted the Chief Minister to expedite the works for laying fence around the forest boundary.