Thrissur: The Kerala Forest Department on Friday found a carcass of a Wild elephant buried on a private property near a forest area in Mulloorkkara.
According to the report, the carcass of the elephant was found with a missing tusk.
Forest Minister AK Saseendran on Friday ordered a probe into the incident.
A total of four people were apprehended in a tusk seizure case from the Kodanad range in Ernakulam district. The officials are investigating the connection between the two incidents.
The Forest officials said that the property owner was absconding, raising suspicion that the elephant was trapped and killed for ivory.
A senior forest official said that the real cause behind the death of the elephant can be ascertained only after nabbing the suspects, including the property owner Roy, as the carcass was found in a severely decomposed state.
“The search is on for the culprits,” the official said.
The minister termed the incident “mysterious” and said the elephant might have been electrocuted or killed by other means.
Forest Officer of Machad Range, Sreedevi Madhusoodhanan had told reporters that they conducted a preliminary inquiry based on the tip-off, which proved to be correct.
With inputs from IANS