9 arrested for possessing elephant tusk near Vellore

Officials of the Tamil Nadu Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (TNWCCB) arrested nine people after seizing an elephant tusk, which had been cut into five pieces, from one of the accused's houses in a village near Vellore on Monday.

The TNWCCB had received a tip-off about an elephant tusk hidden in a house at Ariyur Malaikodi village near Vellore. Bureau officials, along with Vellore district forest officials, raided the house and discovered the tusk, cut into five pieces, concealed inside. The pieces were seized immediately.

The officials arrested the house owner, identified as V Sambath, 55. Based on his confession, they apprehended four more people, including S Sarathkumar, 33, a former youth wing functionary of Vellore district’s BJP unit.

The arrested individuals revealed the involvement of four others in the crime. Acting on this information, two teams traced and arrested the additional suspects. Officials have launched a detailed investigation into the group's network to trace the source of the wildlife products and apprehend everyone involved in the crime.