Palakkad: One person has been arrested inthe case relating to the death of a pregnant wild elephant in Kerala, the state forest department said on Friday.

"KFD has zeroed in on the culprits and recorded the first arrest in the wild elephant death case", the department said in a tweet. The incident had triggered a national outrage.

Forest department sources had said yesterday that three people were under the scanner of the joint investigation team of Kerala police and their personnel and a search was on for two more people.

The 15-year-old elephant is suspected to have consumed a pineapple filled with powerful fire crackers, which exploded in its mouth in the Silent Valley forest. The pachyderm died in the Velliyar River a week later on May 27.