Man held with elephant tusks in Talavadi block

Forest Department and Anti-Naxal Squad arrest man with elephant tusks in joint operation, suspect gang involvement.

The Forest Department and Anti-Naxal Squad, in a joint operation, arrested a man in Pasakkuttai village, Thingalur panchayat, Talavadi block, and recovered a pair of elephant tusks on Wednesday.

Acting on a tip-off that two tusks were being offered for sale, Forest Department staff, posing as prospective buyers, contacted the accused, P. Duraisamy, who asked them to visit his village at 1 a.m. to finalise the price. At his house, Duraisamy showed them the tusks, which he had concealed at the rear of his property, at which point he was apprehended. The staff recovered the tusks and took him to the division office.

An inquiry is ongoing to determine whether Duraisamy removed the tusks from an already deceased elephant or if he killed the animal for this purpose. Officials suspect the involvement of a gang in the operation.