Forester, guard transferred over the jumbo death, tusk theft

Keonjhar: Following the incident of elephant death and tusk theft in Saleikena reserve forest under Telkoi range, the Forest department has transferred Forester Malay Kumar Jena and Guard Ajit Kumar Das and issued a showcause notice to range officer Shivaji Mohan Rao, Keonjhar DFO Dhanraj HD informed Saturday evening.

The tusks were stolen due to the late detection of the elephant’s death, he said. According to sources, such steps have been taken to maintain transparency in the ongoing departmental inquiry against the officials.

Earlier, the Forest department had arrested five villagers in connection with this incident, but it is a matter of concern that the tusks have not been recovered yet, the sources added.

The Joint Task Force and the Special Task Force are investigating the cause of death, and efforts are on to recover the tusks. The investigation is led by ACF Sudipta Panda, the DFO informed.

PNN

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