Dehradun: A range forest officer and a forester deployed in Lansdowne forest division were suspended on Thursday evening after a four-member probe panel found four personnel responsible for lapses that led to the theft of five elephant tusks—weighing around 35 kg—from the Laaldhang forest range storeroom.
At present, the state holds at least 300 elephant tusks in its custody. You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Agra | Silver Rate in Agra | Bank Holidays in Agra | Public Holidays in Agra | Agra AQI | Weather in Agra | Petrol Price in Agra | Diesel Price in Agra | CNG Price in Agra | LPG Price in Agra Stay updated with the latest Agra news. Join conversation Share your thoughts in the comments Be respectful · TOI community guidelines Meanwhile, a joint team of forest officials and police apprehended one suspect in the case. Search operations are underway to recover the stolen tusks and track the suspect’s absconding accomplices. Beyond fixing accountability, the probe panel highlighted critical infrastructural deficiencies in wildlife storage facilities. It recommended deploying round-the-clock gatekeepers and fortifying storerooms where animal derivatives are mandatorily kept. To mitigate long-term security risks, the committee also proposed implementing a statewide policy to incinerate tusks recovered from naturally deceased elephants. Download the TOI App.
With a forester having been suspended earlier in connection with the incident, a total of three personnel will remain under suspension pending completion of the investigation. In-charge DFO of Lansdowne forest division Tarun S confirmed that the suspension orders were received on Thursday evening.