Kerala elephant death: First and second accused absconding, says probe team

Palakkad: The probe team investigating the killing of a pregnant elephant here, said that the first and second accused in the case are absconding. Ambalappara native Abdul Kareem and son Riyasudheen are absconding. They had filled a coconut with crackers and kept in forest area, according to forest department.

Malappuram Edavanna native Wilson, who was arrested earlier the day, is the third accused and helper of the prime accused.

Wilson was taken for evidence collection where the explosive was prepared. Remains of the explosive were found from the shed during evidence collection. Wilson will also be taken to the forest region where the explosive was deposited.

According to veterinarians who carried out the autopsy of the dead 15-year-old pregnant elephant, she had consumed a coconut with firecrackers on May 12 that burst inside her, leaving her in pain for days. She took refuge in a river until her death. The explosion inside her mouth had seriously injuring her upper and lower jaw and tongue. They surmise her killers must have first tried chasing her away as she stray into the agricultural land and forest area and then fed her the live explosives.  

The injured elephant, according to forest officials, was first spotted on May 14 at Karuvarakund area and on May 17 in Edavannappara area. Later it was seen near a water source on May 23. Two days later an elephant expert after a medical assessment said things were bad for the animal.

On May 25, the elephant was found dead in slushy water.

A post-mortem conducted on the elephant two days later revealed that the elephant was two-month pregnant. Experts pointed out that this was the elephant's first pregnancy.

(With IANS inputs)