Farmer taken into custody for questioning

A farmer in the suburban Periyanaickenpalayam was taken into custody for questioning for allegedly connecting live electricity to the fence of his farm to prevent wildlife entering it, police said.

With increasing incidents of elephants straying into agriculture fields in and around Periyanaickenpalam, the farmers had approached the forest department, who had allowed to erect battery operated fence to protect their produce from elephants.

Apart from this, a group of forest department personnel used to burst crackers during their night rounds, to scare away the animals, police said.

The personnel, numbering about 10, who were on night rounds, noticed spark coming from the fence in the early hours of today and on suspicion informed the Electricity Board officials, who rushed to the spot and on inspecting found that live current was connected to the fence from the pump house, they said.

Since there was no provision to connect direct power to the fence, which could have caused casualities both human and animals, as forest department officials were going rounds regularly, Ramasamy was taken into custody for interrogation, police said.