environment

Six Held in Elephant Tusk Smuggling in Tamil Nadu's Pudukottai

Published on: 26 Jul 2026, 12:03 PM

The Tamil Nadu Forest Department arrested six persons on Saturday on charges of smuggling elephant tusks in Pudukottai district. The arrests followed a tip-off that the tusks were being brought to Pudukottai for sale.

The suspects were intercepted near Kepparai after a special forest team kept surveillance. Those arrested were identified as Arulanantham and Swaminathan from Pudukottai, 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. According to sources, the tusks are suspected to have been brought from the Tamil Nadu-Karnataka border. The Forest Department has registered a case and is investigating the source of the tusks. A search is on to trace another suspect believed to be involved.

Elephant tusks are protected under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, which prohibits trade in ivory and imposes strict penalties for poaching and smuggling. The Indian elephant is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and illegal ivory trade remains a threat to their conservation.

Source: The Hindu

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