Five arrested for attempting to sell elephant tusks near Valparai

Coimbatore: Five people, including a forest watcher and an anti-poaching watcher (APW) were arrested on Saturday, for attempting to sell a pair of elephant tusks at Thaimudi estate near Valparai on Saturday.

The arrested have been identified as P Manikandan, 47, P Raja, 39, and D Devapalan, 31, all from Thaimudi estate, forest watcher D Premdass, 29, and anti-poaching watcher V Raman, 35. Officials have seized a car that was used to transport the tusks from them.

"The tusks are more than 5ft long. Manikandan retrieved them from a dead tusker in the Valparai reserve forest with the help of the others. We arrested them based on a tip that they were trying to sell the tusks for several lakhs of rupees. Manikandan, who is involved in poaching cases, is the mastermind behind the crime," said a forest officer attached to the Anamalai Tiger Reserve.

He said Manikandan had lured the forest watcher and the anti-poaching watcher with a promise to pay them a hefty amount after selling the tusks. "He received the information about the dead tusker from the duo. We are investigating the possible involvement of others as well," the officer said.