Gang held for possession of two elephant tusks in Vellore

The accused were caught by forest officials in Gudiyatham while they were selling the tusks to prospective buyers in the district. | Photo credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

The forest department has arrested a gang of three persons for smuggling two big tusks near Gudiyatham town in Vellore.

The arrested persons were identified as K. Thiruvengadam, 38, a native of Chittoor (AP), and his relatives G. Munusamy, 49, and S. Govindaraj, residents of Anaicut in Vellore.

Acting on a tip-off, a team of forest officials led by S. Pradeep Kumar, Forest Range Officer (Gudiyatham), stopped the two-wheeler on which the gang was traveling while checking vehicles at a bus depot on the Gudiyatham-Pallikonda main road.

Forest officials said the gang gave conflicting answers when asked about the purpose of the visit. The team seized a tusk from a gunnysack the gang was carrying. Forest officials said the trio visited the Tirumala temple in Tirupati and went to a local temple near the Papavinasanam reservoir where they were cutting tusks from the elephant carcass. Each tusk averages around 64 centimeters in length. They decided to sell the tusks to potential buyers in Vellore, but the gang was apprehended by forest officials in Gudiyatham.

A case was registered and they were lodged in Vellore Central Jail. Another probe is underway.

Published – 02 Oct 2026 23:47 IST