There have been reports that more people are trekking the hills illegally since a local youth was found trapped in a cleft on the Kumbachi mountain near Malampuzha in the Palakkad district of Kerala just a few days ago. As a result, law enforcement has issued stern warnings to anyone caught trespassing into the forest without authorisation.
The locals alerted the police and forest authorities that torch lights were seen from the hilltop on Sunday evening. A subsequent search by the police spotted one local person identified as Radhakrishnan.
Radhakrishan claimed that he had trekked the hill earlier also and was familiar with the route. It is suspected that he is mentally ill.
The local people raised suspicion that more people were present as more torch lights were visible at the hilltop.
Case registered for trespassing
Kerala Forest Minister A K Saseendran said that Babu, who was rescued from the cleft, was initially exempted from prosecution because of the circumstances surrounding his case. However, in light of the recent discovery of additional trespassers, immediate action is required. Thus, a criminal complaint was filed against Babu.
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Published 14 February 2022, 17:00 IST