Theni man dies in gaur attack, 4 held for hunting monitor lizard near Kalakkad

The victim has been identified as Lakshmana Pandi of Kunjampatti village. The incident occurred on Tuesday night when he along with one Sekar (52) of Kodangipatti village was walking through the forest area, sources said. Sekar managed to escape with minor injuries.

Theni District Officer S Gowtham said that they were workers in tea estate at Kolukkumalai and the incident occurred when they came down to check an ATM. It could have been a sudden encounter with the animal and the gaur could have hit the victim by its horn. Further, Gowtham said immediate compensation of Rs 50,000 among the total compensation of Rs 4 lakh has been offered to kin of deceased.

Meanwhile, acting on a tip off, a team led by Kadayam Range Officer C Nellai Nayagam nabbed those accused belonging to Karuthapillaiyur. They have been identified as G John Vincent, K Suresh, J Antonravi and M Immanuel, sources said.

The Range Officer after investigating the accused, said they used to hunt monitor lizard with the help of dogs at Karuthapillaiyur and Senganoor villages under the Kadayam Range, Ambasamudram Division of Kalakad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve (KMTR). Two more, including M Ponnudurai and J Aravind are absconding, the officials said.