A wild elephant that strayed into villages close to reserve forests near here and damaged crops has forced the residents to stay indoors as officials mounted an operation to push it into deep jungle.
The elephant is part of a larger herd of over 50 jumbos that was driven to reserve forest recently.
However, one of them returned yesterday and it was now near Chettipalli.
"We are making all efforts to send the elephant deep inside the forest and we have deployed our men for safety of local people," Krishnagiri District Forest Officer E Rajendran said today.
Adivsory has been issued to villages around Soolagiri to be on alert in view of the presence of the jumbo, he said.
As the jumbo has allegedly attacked a farmer and aggressively chased another, residents of villages have chosen to largely remain indoors especially after dusk, officials said.
