The Forest Department arrested six persons on Saturday for allegedly smuggling elephant tusks in Pudukottai district.
According to sources, the tusks are suspected to have been brought from the Tamil Nadu-Karnataka border. Acting on a tip-off that elephant tusks were being brought to Pudukottai for sale, a special forest team kept surveillance and intercepted the suspects near Kepparai.
The arrested were identified as Arulanantham and Swaminathan from Pudukkottai, Rohit and Vinoth from Ramanathapuram, Karthikeyan from Sivaganga and Sivakumar from Salem. Forest officials seized two elephant tusks, seven mobile phones, and a two-wheeler from the accused.
A search is on to trace and apprehend another suspect. The Forest Department has registered a case and is investigating the source of the tusks.
Published - July 26, 2026 05:27 pm IST