Man nabbed trying to sell tusks worth millions

by Jayampathy Jayasinghe

A police team has been deployed to arrest five more suspects linked to the massive pair of tusks worth millions of rupees which was recovered from a man who attempted to sell them to a police decoy who posed off as a merchant. The suspect was arrested by the Kobeigane police, Police Media Spokesman SP Prishantha Jayakody told the Sunday Observer.

The suspect has been identified as driver of a florist shop in Kurunegala and a resident of Polpithigama. The suspect had taken the pair of gigantic tusk with him to Kobeigane to be sold to a prospective buyer. The giant pair of tusks had weighed around 14 Kilogrames.

The Kobeigane police have launched an investigation on the missing pair of tusks. They suspect that the giant tusks belonged to a tusker which was shot some time ago at the Wilpattu National Park by poachers. The suspect in custody had revealed the names of those involved in the sale of the tusks.

They had entrusted the pair of tusks to him to be sold. The theft of tusks had not been reported so far to any police station in the Central Province or to the North Western Province.

Meanwhile, the police team is taking for the suspects believed to be from the North Western Province and the Central Province, police said.

Two months ago, the Polpithigama police arrested six suspects attempting to dispose of a pair of tusks for Rs. 10 lakhs to a police decoy who posed off as a wealthy merchant. The tusks belonged to a tusker which was shot at the Wilpattu National Park, police said.

OIC Kobeigane police station, Chief Inspector Athula Abeyratne is conducting investigations.