TUMAKURU: It was a heist of elephantine proportions and the fog of mystery clouds the attempt to kidnap a pachyderm from a Tumakuru mutt on December 31. The elephant, which was driven away in a truck by the accused, was found abandoned at a village in Kunigal taluk and brought back to Sri Karibasavaswamy Mutt at Horapete on Sunday.
It is said that the accused tried to sell the 27-year-old pachyderm, Lakshmi, to a circus company and abandoned it after failing to cut a deal. The culprits claimed to be from the forest department and told the mutt authorities that the elephant would be taken to the Bannerghatta Biological Park for a health checkup.
Her mahouts too boarded the truck. "But midway at Dobspet, when they took a break, the accused dropped the mahouts and left with the animal. Forest officials too are involved," alleged Sri Kalyanaswamy, junior pontiff of the Mutt.
Deputy Conservator of Forests Dr Suresh said the PCCF had issued a permit, but to the senior seer, Sri Jagadguru Channabasava Rajendra.
'None from mutt approached us'
The permit had allowed shifting of the animal to Moti Khavdi near Jamnagar in Gujarat. "But none of the
mutt authorities had approached us for the process to be done," he added. Earlier, an NGO, People for Animals, in Mysuru moved the Karnataka High Court, saying the forest department should take back the animal from the mutt as it violated the guidelines.