In a breakthrough in its probe into an inter-State elephant smuggling racket, the Kerala Forest Department has received information from Bihar that confirms suspicion of forgery in ownership certificates of two animals llegedly smuggled by an absconding Kollam native.
While the development has provided an impetus to the investigation, forest officials believe it is only the tip of the iceberg, indicating the possibility of a larger network of criminals behind the nefarious operation.
The department launched an investigation into the suspected trade and illegal transfer of 200 elephants from various States a month ago following a “revelation” made by Kollam native V. Shaji on YouTube. The probe is led by the Conservator of Forests (Social Forestry), Kollam.
While Shaji, the main accused in seven cases that were subsequently registered, and four others are absconding, forest officials arrested his friend and alleged accomplice Sanal Kumar of Puthenkulam in Kollam. Two elephants were also seized from Kumar’s possession.
Chief Wildlife Warden Surendrakumar took up the matter with his counterparts in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Assam to ascertain the authenticity of the ownership certificates of captive elephants that were in the possession of the accused.
After verifying the ownership certificates of two of Shaji’s elephants — Prasad and Modi — Prabhat Kumar Gupta, Chief Wildlife Warden in Bihar, officially communicated that the documents did not match with official records.
The actual ownership certificate of one of the elephants had apparently been issued to a Patna native. Besides, the original certificates contained microchip numbers that differed with those found in the documents furnished by the accused. The elephants are believed to have been brought to Kerala in 2015.
Concluding that the certificates were fake, the Bihar forest authorities urged their Kerala counterparts to initiate action, official sources said.
While the response from the other States is expected, the Kerala Forest Department is set to submit two complaints to the police pertaining to the alleged forgery. Prior to the ongoing investigation, the department had registered at least five cases against Shaji, an official said.
