2 tusks worth Rs 7 cr seized in city, 7 held

CHENNAI: The sleuths from the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) on Sunday secured seven men in possession of two elephant tusks, weighing over 4 kg, in T Nagar. The tusks, estimated to be worth more than Rs 7 crore and the arrested people were handed over to the forest officials.

Based on information, DRI personnel surrounded the gang at North Boag Road and GN Chetty Road junction and a search led to the seizure of two elephant tusks. Inquiries revealed the men arrived from Karnataka to sell the tusks in the city. “Four of them are from Chennai, two from Salem and one from Karnataka,” sources said.

The forest department officials were alerted about the seizure, said officials, adding that the value of the seized tusks was ascertained to be Rs 7.19 crore in the international market. The seized tusks were handed over to the forest department for further investigation.

Sources in the Wildlife Bureau said that the tusks could also be stolen from a house where they were kept as trophies. However, city police sources said they have not received any complaints so far about missing ivory pieces.

If the tusks have valid certification as wildlife trophies, they would be returned to the owner, officials said. The tusks seized by DRI appeared to be very old and need an investigation to find out the source, they added.