Special teams are on the lookout for the owner of a banana plantation and his son who were booked in connection with the electrocution of a tusker at Varappalayam village near Coimbatore.
District Forest Officer (DFO) T.K. Ashok Kumar said search for the land owner Manoharan and his son Naresh continued for the second day on Sunday.
He said that three teams comprising forest range officers of Coimbatore, Mettupalayam and Periyanaickenpalayam ranges were involved in the search. Assistant Conservator of Forests C. Dinesh Kumar was heading the investigation.
The DFO said that a case was registered against Manoharan and Naresh for offence under Section 9 (prohibition of hunting) of the Wildlife (Protection) Act. “A detailed report on the investigation will be submitted before the court on Monday,” he said.
Many people, including nature enthusiasts and residents of Varappalayam and nearby Thadagam, accused the Forest Department of letting the land owner and his son escape after the incident.
They alleged that Manoharan was present along with the Forest Department staff till Saturday noon, while the DFO claimed in a statement that they absconded following the death of the elephant. They added that Manoharan had strong backing from a farmers’ association in which he was an office-bearer.
The male elephant aged between 12 and 15 was found electrocuted in the banana plantation belonging to Manoharan and Naresh on Saturday morning. The land is located around 1 km from Thadagam north reserve forest area, according to the Forest Department.
