In an unexpected development, a civil police officer (CPO) from Tamil Nadu has been found to be the prime suspect in a recent case involving the smuggling of ivory worth ₹1.5 crore. An investigation carried out by the Forest department following the arrest of four Malappurm natives also confirms that the suspected officer has been part of two middlemen from Kerala who reportedly fixed the deal.
On July 30, a flying squad arrested Malappuram natives Jaffar Sadique, Mohammed Basil, Abdul Rasheed and Shukkoor following a tip-off received by the Forest department’s intelligence wing. The gang was netted when they reached Kozhikode for selling the smuggled items. There were reportedly eight pieces with them for sale.
The details of the suspected CPO came to light after a two-week investigation into the incident. According to sources, the officer who went on leave three months ago is yet to re-join duty. During the investigation, he was also found using SIM cards obtained in the name of his wife.
Following an inquiry by the Kerala Forest department squad, the Tamil Nadu police have also launched a separate investigation into the incident. The probe would mainly check whether the CPO tried to smuggle the already seized stock of ivory in the custody of the police or the Tamil Nadu Forest department.
Forest department sources said the seized ivory was quite old. In the follow-up investigation, the support of both the Kerala Police and their counterparts in Tamil Nadu would be sought.
A senior Forest department officer said the squad probing the case managed to identify two middlemen who were at large since the arrest of the four-member gang from Kozhikode. “A search is on for an Idukki native named Jishad and Malappuram native named Aboobacker as they were found to have played a key role in the illicit trade,” he added.
