Man found dead in suspected wild elephant attack in Idukki

A 55-year-old tribal man was found dead in the Ecologically Fragile Land (EFL) area under Kanthalloor forest of Marayoor Sandal Division in Idukki.

According to police, Murukan, a resident of Churakkulam tribal settlement, was found dead near a rock in Pampanpara and Churakkulam forest area around 3 pm on Thursday. Locals claimed that Murukan was killed in a wild elephant attack, pointing to injuries found on his body. They said wild elephants were recently spotted in the area. Following the incident, residents staged a protest in Marayoor and carried the body of the man to demand action.

Meanwhile, Marayoor Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) PJ Suhaib said the exact cause of death will be confirmed only after the post-mortem.

“There was no presence of wild elephants in the area and forest rangers conducted a patrol where the body was found on Thursday. The forest department has already driven out wild elephants from Churakkulam and Pampanpara areas,” Suhaib said.

Published – 18 Jun 2026 20:23 IST