Forest and Wildlife Department officials on Tuesday arrested Shaji, 48, of Kulathingal at Pulpally, on the charge of killing a cow elephant in the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary (WSS).
He is the kingpin of a poaching team, the officials said. The carcass of the elephant, aged 13, was found near the Sulthan Bathery- Perikkallur State highway at Nalam Mile under the Kurichiyad range of forest of the sanctuary on May 30 morning. It had a bullet injury on its head and veterinarians recovered a lead bullet from its skull during autopsy.
During interrogation, Shaji allegedly confessed that he shot the animal with a country-made gun along with Baby, 40, of Chundat at Pulpally, Samjad, 22, of Paloppora at Puthankunnu, and three others around 12.30 a.m. on the day, P. Dhaneshkumar, Warden, WWS, told The Hindu .
The other accused were absconding. They reached the spot on a sports utility vehicle and he shot the animal at close range with a gun owned by Baby, Mr. Dhaneshkumar said.
He said forest personnel had tried to stop the functioning of a resort owned by the accused on the fringes of a forest at Pulpally and WWS officials had denied permission to a similar resort at Vadakkanad, which provoked him to commit the crime.
