25-kg pair of tusks seized; 7 held

Chennai: Customs officials from Special Intelligence and Investigation Branch (SIIB) on Wednesday seized a mounted 25-kg pair of ivory elephant tusks from a seven-member group at a mini hall in K K Nagar, Chennai. SIIB personnel posed as prospective buyers to foil the attempted sale, following a tip-off.

The accused initially proposed a meeting at a club but abruptly changed the location to the hall. The sudden shift in venue did not deter the officials, who arrested all seven individuals on site and confiscated the ivory tusks, which were mounted on a wooden base. Officials later transferred the case to the state forest department. All seven were remanded in Puzhal prison on Friday.

Investigators have since identified two key suspects — T Prabakaran and his son P Divakar. Although the ivory was not originally theirs, the duo allegedly paid an intermediary and agreed to act as facilitators.

A forest officersaid both were enticed by agents with promises of significant returns, highlighting how middlemen continue to lure unsuspecting individuals into the illegal wildlife trade.

Wildlife authorities suspect the pair of tusks may have come from an older stockpile, possibly handed down or unearthed from private collections. Recent trends suggest that most ivory entering the local black market is not freshly poached but sourced from legacy collections or family heirlooms.

Officials added that while raw ivory now has limited international value due to strict legal bans, crafted ivory, especially in the form of traditional artefacts or idols, commands a high price in niche domestic markets.

With the ivory trade tightly monitored under national and international laws, enforcement agencies are continuing to investigate the source of the seized tusks and identify potential buyers and traffickers in the larger network.