Eight men held for killing elephant, stealing tusk

Eight people were arrested on Wednesday for allegedly killing a wild elephant and removing its tusks in Chhattisgarh's Balrampur district, a forest official said. The tuskless carcass of an elephant was found in the forest near Sonhat village under Raghunathnagar forest range on November 18, the official said.

During investigation, the authorities zeroed in on 11 people from Sonhat and a nearby village, and arrested eight of them under relevant sections of Wildlife Protection Act, he said. Efforts are on to trace three others who are absconding, he added.

On November 6, the accused had laid a live electric wire trap in the forest to hunt a wild boar. However, the elephant fell into the trap and got electrocuted, he said. The next morning, the accused allegedly removed the animal's tusks and hid them in a garden, he said.

"The accused had allegedly planned to sell the tusks and were looking for prospective buyers," he added. Forest officials have seized two tusks, weighing 15.90 kg and 16.40 kg respectively, he said, adding that the tusks are worth around Rs 70 lakh in the international market..

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