A tusker from Bengal is giving sleepless nights for over a week now, to villagers of Amlagora in the Laudhasholi panchayat in East Singhbhum.

The elephant, which is part of a herd camping in Chakulia forest range for over a week now, damaged a sweet shop in the village in the wee hours of Friday.

The villagers informed the foresters who shepherded the tusker to a nearby jungle.

Chakulia forest range officer Ashok Singh said the tusker was proving to be a big headache for them but they are trying hard to prevent it from venturing into human settlements.

“The tusker is part of the herd but usually remains aloof. It seems temperamental and has taken a liking to slipping into villages,” he added.

Speaking to The Telegraph Online over phone, the range officer informed that the tusker not only damaged the shop but also wiped out its sweets.

“An elephant eating sweets is something new to us,” Singh said while expressing surprise.

The elephant herd is also targeting some human settlements, some of which they have damaged.

“The elephants on Thursday pulled down the gates of a soap factory. We were busy the whole night trying to drive away the jumbos back to a sal jungle,” a forester said on condition of anonymity.

A quick response team of the Chakulia forest range along with village youths are operating in the night to drive away the elephants, armed with mashals (torches) and drums.

Crackers have been distributed among the villagers.

The forester added the herd is also damaging standing crops and wiping out bamboos.

Villagers are petrified and don’t venture out in the evening

They are worried about crops and pray for the early exit of the jumbos.

“The herd damaged bamboos at my farm. I have already incurred a loss of about Rs 30,000,” said Somesh Mahto of Amlagora village.

Range officer Singh said they have managed to drive some elephants to the nearby state of Bengal, but the animals were crossing the border and coming to Chakulia once again.

“Elephants are roving creatures and move from one place to another, and we are trying our best to prevent man-animal conflict,” he added.