Chennai, Sept 14 (BPNS)

Tamil Nadu forest officials are interrogating four people who were held by the Naxalite Special Division of the Erode district police. The Special police team received a tip-off that tusks were being smuggled to Karnataka from Bagur hills.

The team held K. Chandrashekar ( 45) of Kavundapadi with four tusks in a gunny bag at the Thamaraikkarai area in the forests. On questioning, Chandrasekar revealed that the tusks were given to him by Rasu, (37) of Varattupallam check post, Subbu (38) of Kalvarai, Sellappan (35) of Thamaraikarai, and Mahendran of Eratti.

The police arrested all three except Subbu who is absconding and handed over to the forest department officials. Forest officials said that they are interrogating the arrested to ascertain whether they had taken the tusks after killing elephants or whether they had got the tusks from other people.

All four were produced before the judicial magistrate court and remanded in judicial custody.