CHENNAI: A 67-year-old jeweller from Chennai and his son were among seven people arrested by the Chennai Customs for trying to sell two pieces of ivory weighing 25kg, worth several crores, on Wednesday evening.
The accused were identified as T Prabhakaran, his son P Diwakar (42), a Chennai-based realtor, and five accomplices, sources said.
After the arrest, they were handed over to the forest department. Prabhakaran was identified as the proprietor of a jewellery shop on NSC Bose road in North Chennai.The arrest follows an investigation by the special intelligence and investigation branch (SIIB) of Chennai Customs after they received information about the illicit trade of ivory by certain jewellers.
The investigation was based on information about the trade flourishing in the state, similar to the trend in Karnataka where the state forest department had in 2022 flagged the involvement of some jewellers dealing with illegal body parts of wildlife, a source familiar with the trade explained.
According to sources, Prabhakaran and his accomplices were caught red-handed trying to sell the ivory to a potential buyer at a shopping complex in KK Nagar on Wednesday evening.
Authorities faced some stiff resistance from the accomplices of the jeweller as some individuals claiming state government employees tried to step in. The arrests were made under the Wildlife Protection Act, a first for Chennai Customs, sources said.
It is unclear if follow-up searches were conducted at the office and residence of the accused. Forest department officials did not respond to calls seeking reply to queries.