Four persons who tried to smuggle two pairs of tusks to Karnataka were being interrogated by the Forest Department officials in Erode.
The Naxalite Special Division (NSD), a wing of the district police, received a tipoff that tusks were being smuggled from Bargur hills to Karnataka. A team found K. Chandrasekar, 45, of Kavundapadi with four tusks in a gunny bag at Thamaraikarai in the hill area.
Inquiries revealed that Rasu, 37, of Varattupallam check post, Subbu, 37, of Kalvarai and Sellappan, 32, of Thamaraikarai and Mahendran of Eratti, had given the tusks to Chandrasekar for selling it in Karnataka. While the four were picked up by the police, a search is on for Subbu.
The tusks and the four accused were handed over to the Anthiyur and Chennampatti Forest Range officials. Inquiry is on to ascertain when they had killed elephants and removed the tusks, or they had received the tusks from other persons. Officials said that after inquiry, all the four will be produced in the court and lodged at prison.
