Four arrested for illegal wildlife trafficking in Coimbatore

The Forest Department in Coimbatore arrested four people on Saturday for illegal possession of wildlife items. They were caught with an elephant tusk, leopard canines, and claws. The suspects are S. Kiruba, 24, R. Satheeshkumar, 26, M. Gowtham, 26, all from Mettur in Salem district, and K. Vijayan, 45, from Perambalur. A special team was formed after receiving information about the illegal wildlife trade. The team, led by Coimbatore forest range officer V. Thirumurugan, located the men in a car in Ram Nagar around 1:30 p.m. During a search, they found the elephant tusk, four leopard canines, and 17 leopard claws. The suspects claimed they obtained the leopard items from Mettur. The investigation will continue to trace the tusk's origin and identify any poachers or middlemen involved. The Forest Department filed a wildlife offence report and presented the four men to a magistrate on Sunday. They were sent to judicial remand.