Kumkis have been deployed in the wake of villagers of Sri Madurai Panchayat threatening to go on protest against Vinayagan’s frequent visit to their neighbourhood.

The elephant, which was captured in Coimbatore and released into the forests in The Nilgiris a few years ago, had been damaging the houses in search of food. On Thursday, two kumkis Krishna and Shankar were deployed along the forest border near Sri Madurai and Mudumalai panchayats. On Friday, four more kumkis, Wasim, Murthy, Jambu and Ganesh were brought to Bospara along Gudalur-Mudumalai for patrol. The Forest Department launched a search for Vinayagan, but it could not be spotted.

“Wild elephants will avoid coming out of the forests if they spot kumkis. So, these captive elephants will be stationed in areas where the wild elephant ventures out,” said an official.