TIRUPUR: A forest guard has been arrested along with two others on charges of attempting to sell a pair of elephant tusks in the Amaravathi forest range of the Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR).
Amaravathi range forest officer Senthilmurugan received a photograph of two tusks on WhatsApp from an unknown number on Sept 7, according to the forest department. Tracing the mobile number, officials zeroed in on a local resident named Sakthi, who revealed that the picture was forwarded to him by one Surya from the Parai settlement behind the Sainik School at Amaravathi Nagar.
Upon questioning, Surya told the forest department officials that Mariappan had asked him to photograph the tusks and send them to his phone, presumably to find prospective buyers.
Officials said Mariappan handed the tusks to Kannimuthu last week, who then concealed it at Vijayakumar’s residence. A team raided Vijayakumar’s premises at 2am on Wednesday, recovering the tusks and arresting all three suspects.