Narrow escape for Excise sleuths from tusker attack

A team of Excise officials had a narrow escape from a wild elephant attack near Thettu Road Junction under the North Wayanad Forest Division. The four-member team, including K.K. Ajayakumar, Excise Pr

A team of Excise officials had a narrow escape from a wild elephant attack near Thettu Road Junction under the North Wayanad Forest Division. The four-member team, including K.K. Ajayakumar, Excise Preventive Officer; M.K. Mansoor Ali and Arun Krishnan, Civil Excise officers, and M. Ramesh, driver, Mananthavady Excise Range, were returning from the Tholpetty Excise check post on the Kerala-Karnataka border around 8 p.m. on Friday, when the lone tusker attacked their vehicle, said T.M .Maju, Assistant Excise Commissioner, Wayanad. The elephant attacked the vehicle just after the driver had given way for another vehicle coming in the opposite direction, Mr. Maju said. The animal tried to lift the vehicle after piercing the windowpane using its tusk. The presence of mind of the driver saved the team, he added.