For a decade, Perambur man held on to tusks from Nigeria, nabbed on way to meet buyer

CHENNAI: The state forest department on Saturday intensified its surveillance in north Tamil Nadu following reports that buyers were out to buy poached wildlife produce ranging from tusks to live endemic animals mostly imported from west Asian countries. The move came after the Chengalpattu forest officials seized elephant tusks worth Rs 2 crore and arrested eight people, including four of a family, earlier in the day.

Acting on a tip-off received by the Tamil Nadu Forest and Wildlife Crime Control Bureau that elephant tusks were being smuggled in a car, officers intercepted an SUV near a checkpoint at the Paranur toll booth and found two large elephant tusks fitted with stands hidden underneath the seats.

An inquiry revealed that one of the apprehended persons, Suresh Chandrasekar (55) of Perambur, had worked as a manager in Nigeria a decade ago, where he had purchased the tusks at a low rate. In 2013, he brought the tusks to Bangalore and kept them at his bungalow for years.

Suresh had been trying to sell off the tusks for a good rate and recently, with the help of a few brokers from Ramanathapuram, learned of interested buyers. Suresh then moved the tusks to his house in Chennai. On Saturday early morning, Suresh along with his sister, her husband and son, and four brokers were on the way to Chengalpattu to meet the buyers when they were caught.

Investigation is on to find the details of the buyers and those linked to wildlife trade.

According to a senior wildlife official, there have been inputs that international passengers arriving at Chennai and Trichy airport are smuggling live animals ranging from monkeys, lizards, birds, snakes and marmoset.

“Some people are not aware of the serious crime they are involved in by buying such banned exotic animals. Some are non-bailable if they are in possession or trade in illegal wildlife,” the official added.