Mysore/Mysuru: The Mysuru Forest Mobile Squad have arrested five persons on charges of attempting to sell a pair of elephant tusks, deer skull and antlers and have recovered the tusks, deer skull and antlers besides seizing two Honda Dio scooters from them.

The arrested are Vinod of Chandra Layout in Bengaluru, Abdul Razak of Gayathripuram in Mysuru, Nagaraja of Tilaknagar, Ravikumar of Agrahara and Goutham of Metagalli in Mysuru. 

Acting on a tip off that five persons were trying to sell the tusks, deer skull and antlers near the Ring Road Railway track at Abdul Kalam Nagar in city, the Forest Mobile Squad on Aug. 18 raided the spot and arrested them.

Deputy Conservator of Forests (DCF) A.T. Poovaiah, speaking to Star of Mysore, said that, during interrogation, Vinod said that the tusks were at his house in Kodagu since a very long time and due to financial crisis, he wanted to sell the tusks and Vinod also revealed that Abdul Razak was his friend, who had the deer skull and antlers and they were trying to sell them together.

The DCF also said that the tusks look very old and it has to be ascertained whether the animals were poached.

A case has been registered by the Forest Department and the Mobile Squad led by DCF Poovaiah comprised Lakshmish (In-charge RFO), DRFOs Mohan, Nagaraju, Sundar and Pramod, Forest Guards Satish, Channabasavaiah, Govind, Mahantesh, Ravinandan, Ravikumar, Sharanabasappa and Kotresh and drivers Madhu and Puttaswamy.