Bhubneswar, Sept. 1: Panic gripped residents of Khandagiri after an elephant strayed into Udaygiri.

The authorities were forced to prevent entry of tourists into Udaygiri and Jayadev Vatika.

The jumbo is suspected to have escaped from the Chandaka wildlife sanctuary.

Residents spotted a makhna (male elephant without tusks) on the Udaygiri hills. Subsequently, it came down the hills and managed to sneak into the agriculture farm of Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT).

"When the elephant was walking down the hills, residents of a nearby slum started shouting. This startled the jumbo and it moved towards the agriculture farm," said an eyewitness.

Following the incident, forest officials and police rushed to the spot and tried to drive away the elephant.

"Around 50 forest officials have been deployed on the spot. The elephant has not harmed any civilians. We are hopeful that it will return to the forest by tonight," said divisional forest officer, Chandaka, Kedar Kumar Swain.

Forest officials suspect that a tusker was accompanying the elephant.

"A male elephant always accompanies a makhna in the forest. Though the tusker is yet to be spotted, we are searching for it," said a forest official.

There are several instances of elephants from the Chandaka sanctuary straying into human habitats. It is alleged that the boundary walls of the sanctuary are not repaired properly which causes the problem.

Hundreds of tourists who reached the Udaygiri hills expressed disappointment after the authorities banned entry to the spots. The forest officials, however, were struggling to disperse thousands of onlookers who had gathered to catch a glimpse of the elephant.

Traffic movement was hit between Baramunda and Khandagiri and peripheral areas because of the crowd.

In another incident, an elephant attack claimed the life of a woman at Khuntuni forest range under Athagarh block in Cuttack.