Forest Department officials arrest 8 men for hoarding elephant tusks, deer antlers

Forest Department officials arrested eight men for hoarding elephant tusks and deer antlers near Sivaganga.

As the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau received information that elephant tusks and deer antlers were being stashed in a newly constructed house in Allur Vaigai Nagar near Sivaganga, Forest Department officials from Chennai, Madurai, and Ramanathapuram districts conducted a search in the house.

During the search, two elephant tusks and six deer antlers were found hidden. Forest officials apprehended and interrogated Dinesh, 26, a resident of Ilayangudi, who was hoarding the items.

The investigation revealed that the items were illegally purchased and smuggled from Mallappan of Sirumugai in Coimbatore district.

Subsequently, the Forest Department arrested eight men involved in the crime and gave their names as follows: Dinesh of Ilayangudi, Kasinathadurai, 54, of Sivaganga, Ashok, 46, Sivaganga, Delhi Jayasurya, 26, of Sivaganga, Raghu, 31, of Sivaganga, Murugesan, 63, of Madurai, Mallappan of Coimbatore, and Bhaskaran alias Kannan, 48, of Kalaiyarkovil.

The arrested individuals were produced before the Sivaganga Judicial Magistrate Court.

While Murugesan was remanded to Madurai Central Prison, the remaining seven were sent to Sivaganga district Jail.

Furthermore, it is suspected that a Grade-I police constable belonging to Sivaganga district was involved in the crime. Forest officials are investigating this angle, sources said.