Sandhya Achayya, wife of senior IPS officer Sunil Achayya, died after being attacked by a wild elephant while inspecting work at a coffee plantation in Kodagu district on Friday, police said. According to official information, the incident occurred near Titimati, when Sandhya Achayya had visited a coffee plantation to oversee ongoing work. She was at Konanakatte village during the visit when a wild elephant suddenly attacked her in the plantation area, triggering a fatal encounter in the forest-fringe settlement.

Police said she sustained serious injuries in the attack and succumbed to them despite immediate response efforts. Her death was confirmed based on preliminary reports from local authorities who reached the site following the incident. The area is known for frequent movement of wild elephants due to its proximity to forest corridors and plantation landscapes.

Chief Minister D K Shivakumar expressed deep condolences over the incident and spoke to Sunil Achayya, who is serving as a Director General of Police in Delhi, according to the Chief Minister’s Office. He conveyed grief over the loss and offered support to the bereaved family, describing the incident as deeply distressing.

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In his message, Shivakumar said the tragedy had caused significant sorrow and assured that the government stood with the family in this difficult time. He noted that the incident underscored the continuing risks faced by people living and working in plantation regions bordering forest areas, where human-wildlife encounters have remained a persistent concern.

The Chief Minister also directed concerned officials to take necessary measures to address the issue of wild elephant movement into human-inhabited areas and plantation zones, and to strengthen preventive steps to avoid such incidents in the future. Kodagu district, a major coffee-growing region in Karnataka, has long faced challenges linked to human-elephant conflict due to overlapping habitats, and authorities periodically carry out mitigation efforts such as monitoring elephant corridors and enhancing local alert systems.

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