Chhattisgarh: Elephant electrocuted, axed, buried after tusk extraction, three held

RAIPUR: In a confirmed indication towards animals being killed for poaching in forests of Chhattisgarh , three persons were arrested after five years of their crime of killing an elephant by electrocution, axed it into two pieces and buried on the field before extracting elephant's tusk for illicit ivory smuggling.

Dhamtari additional SP Manisha Thakur Rawte informed that three persons - father and his two sons - were arrested in Sarkatta village on Monday. They were identified as Chain Singh Markam, Ranjeet and Sanjeet.

The three accused have confessed to the wildlife crime stating that an elephant calf had ventured into their fields that was fenced with barbed electric wires. The accused had laid a trap on elephant assuming that the tuskers often come frequenting in the region.

As the calf came in contact with wire, it died of electrocution. The incident took place about five years ago and Markams rushed to the carcass of dead elephant with an axe. They cut the elephant carcass into two and buried in the same night in the fields.

No one in and around the region had a clue about the incident.

As per the plan, the accused dug up the ground after two years to check on carcass and extracted its ivory tusk. They had hidden it at home and waited to strike a deal with ivory trade markets.

While they had been trying to inquire about the market where they could sell the ivory, they came in contact with a police informer who gathered as much information from them and reported to police.

ASP Manisha said that a team of forest officials and police was constituted and the spot of the incident was raided. The three were detained and questioned and the ground was dug up.

The remains of elephant were retrieved from the field including bones and the two tusk measuring to 20 inches long was also seized from their possession.
The three accused were booked under Sections of 49, 51 under Wildlife Prevention Act and 429, 201 and 34 of the IPC.

Chhattisgarh has witnessed back to back six deaths of the elephant in the month of June and one in July, in forests of Surajpur, Balrampur, Raigarh, Dhamtari and Korba districts.

Carcasses of two elephants were found in Pratappur forest range of Surajpur district and another on the very next day in neighbouring Balrampur district.

Two more tuskers were found dead in Dharamjaigarh in Raigarh while a calf died after getting stuck in marshland in Dhamtari. Another one recently died in Korba after undergoing treatment for about 20 days, due to illness.