Four individuals were apprehended in Krishnagiri on Monday for attempting to illegally sell elephant ivory. Forest department personnel seized two broken pieces of tusks weighing around 400 grams during the operation.
Those arrested were identified as K. Narasimhan (40) from Soolagiri, P. Nandakumar (45) from Pazhayapettai, Paul Anthonyraj, and S. Narasimhan (32), both from Katikanapally. Acting on a credible tip-off, forest officials learned that the group was looking to sell ivory in the Shoolagiri and Kundarapalli areas.
Krishnagiri District Forest Officer (DFO) Muniappan said that forest personnel posed as prospective ivory buyers to catch the suspects red-handed. The meeting was arranged in Kundarapalli, where the accused arrived with the tusks.
A forest team led by DFO Muniappan, along with foresters Sivakumar, Murugesan, and guards Jyothivignesh and Manikandan, confronted and questioned them. The suspects claimed the ivory fragments were collected from forests in neighbouring Karnataka.
“They intended to sell the tusks at a high price,” said the DFO. Along with the ivory, officials also impounded three motorcycles used by the accused.
A formal case has been filed, and further investigation is underway to determine the source of the ivory and possible links to a broader wildlife trafficking network.