Two Elephant Tusks Missing From Pangode Military Station, 17 Detained

Thiruvananthapuram: Two elephant tusks worth around two crore rupees have gone missing from the Pangode Military Station in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. The Poojappura police have registered a case and launched an investigation.

According to the FIR filed on the complaint of an officer of the Indian Army’s Madras Regiment, the ivory pieces were kept at the officers’ mess inside the camp. They were found missing after a DJ party held between Wednesday night and Thursday morning. Investigators suspect that someone who entered the premises for the event may have been involved.

Police said the tusks had been in the custody of the military camp since 1929, when they were handed over by the government. Based on details provided by camp authorities about outsiders who attended the DJ event, 17 people from different parts of Thiruvananthapuram were detained on Thursday. A separate case has also been registered to place the suspects under preventive detention as part of the probe.

The case has been booked under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for house trespass and theft of government property. Police officials said interrogation is ongoing and a detailed investigation is required to trace and recover the missing tusks.