2 guides held, 4 tourists fined for night safari in MTR

The tourists from Coimbatore were taken into the forest cover by Arjun, 21, of Moyar village, who was behind the wheels and jeep owner Yakup Salam (35) of Masinagudi on a night trip to sight wild animals. They were spotted inside the dense jungle by a team of Forest Department staff, who were on a routine patrol in the Masinagudi and Singara range. As entering the forest is an offence, the MTR officials arrested the duo and produced them before the judicial magistrate court at Gudalur. They were remanded in custody, while their jeep was also impounded.

Further, four tourists identified as Atheesh, Manoj, Pechiyappan and Sri Subash, all aged 21 to 23 years and hailing from Coimbatore were imposed with a penalty of Rs 5,000 each for the offence. They were sent away with a warning as entering the forest during night hours may cause conflicts with wild animals and also pose a risk to their life.

Officials said that they have increased vigil in forest areas following a surge in tourist arrivals after the reopening of tourist destinations in the hill district.