ATHIRAPPILLY: The forest department registered a case against a native of Tamil Nadu who gave fruit and laddu to wild elephants. The forest department also arrested the said man, Sowgath, after receiving a video of him giving fruit and laddu to the jumbo. Chalakudy court remanded the accused for 14 days. The incident happened on Athirappilly-Malakappara road.

A group of seven members from Tamil Nadu crossed the border via Valparai and reached Malakappara on Friday. Then on the way to Athirapilly, they saw a herd of elephants at Ananthara. Then Sowgath went to give laddu and fruit to the wild elephants. After being chased by the elephant, he gave up and got into the vehicle and escaped.

The video of this incident was shot by another traveller who came this way and sent it to the forest department. Later, the forest department stopped the vehicle at Athirappily and arrested the seven-member team. Sowkath M (43), owner of Masthan Transporting Company owner and native of Ranipet, Suresh, Manikandan, Neelakandan and T Prakash, natives of Tiruvallur, Rashid Basha M and Thilakan Basha M, natives of Vellore, are the others arrested.

A case has been filed against the accused under non-bailable sections of Kerala Forest Act 1961, Wildlife Protection Act Amendment Act 2022, and others. The court also did not release the vehicle in which they were traveling.