Madikeri (Karnataka) (PTI): A 49-year-old coffee grower died in an elephant attack on Thursday, officials said. 

The incident occurred around noon when Ganapathi went to his coffee plantation near Siddapura in Virajpet taluk of Kodagu district, they said. 

According to forest department, Ganapathi was trampled by the wild elephant which suddenly appeared in the coffee plantation. 

Following the death, villagers staged protest rasing concerns about the increasing movement of wild elephants in human settlements and plantations in this district. 

"An alert regarding movement of elephant was issued to residents of the area. Our team rushed to the spot as soon as we received the information. All concerns raised by the villagers are being addressed," a senior forest department official said. 

Orders have been given to the officials concerned to monitor movement of the elephant involved in the attack and capture it, he said. 

"All teams are already vigilant and monitoring the movement of the wild elephant. All efforts are being taken to capture it. The operation will begin tomorrow," he added.

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Mumbai (PTI): Police have arrested a man and seized over 500 grams of heroin worth Rs 2.54 crore in the illicit market from him in Mumbai, officials said on Friday.

The police's Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) made the drug seizure in Santacruz in the western suburbs. The operation was conducted by the Kandivali unit of the ANC on Thursday as part of a special crackdown against drug trafficking in the area, they said.

Acting on specific inputs, an ANC team conducted a raid in Santacruz (East) and intercepted a man. During a search, the team recovered 508 grams of high-grade heroin from his possession, an official said.

The seized contraband, a highly addictive, opioid drug derived from morphine, is estimated to be worth Rs 2.54 crore in the international market, he informed.

Following the seizure, a case was registered against the man under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, and he was formally placed under arrest in the early hours of Friday.

The police are currently investigating the source of the drug and trying to identify the intended recipients of the consignment, he said.