COIMBATORE: Officers of Salem south forest range on Sunday night arrested eight people who allegedly were in possession of a pair of tusks. Based on a tip-off, the officers contacted the gang posing as buyers and asked them to come to the Salem new bus stand to seal the deal. When two of the smugglers came there, they arrested them and they led to their hideout where six more suspects were arrested. All eight people have been remanded in judicial custody.
Salem South Forest Range officer P Durai Murugan said the gang members are first-time offenders. Murali (28) of Periya Kalvarayan Malai near Athur is the prime suspect. He got the tusks while working in a grove in Kerala, and kept them in an abandoned building near his house.
“Murali and his friends have been trying to sell the tusks in the last four months. They formed a WhatsApp group and had been sharing information. We got a tip-off and contacted them posing as buyers. We told them we will give money only after seeing the tusks and asked them to come to the new bus stand. Two suspects came there and told us to visit Periya Kalvarayan Malai to take possession. We went there and arrested them,” said an officer.
Officials also seized the tusks, worth several lakhs of rupees, and mobile phones of the gang.We Investigating is under way to know where the gang sourced the tusks in Kerala.