Tusker electrocuted in Assam tea garden, grower arrested for ivory poaching

May 31, 2025

World

Dibrugarh, May 31: In a shocking incident of wildlife crime, the Digboi Forest Division has arrested a small tea grower for allegedly electrocuting a wild elephant and chopping off its tusk in Tinsukia district of Upper Assam.

The accused, identified as Nitul Moran (32) of Upper Mamorani, was apprehended on Friday under multiple sections of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 — including Sections 9, 39, 40, 49B, 51, and 55 — which pertain to the illegal hunting and possession of wildlife articles.

This is the first time that a tea grower has been arrested in wildlife crime.

According to forest officials, an adult tusker was found dead on Thursday afternoon in a tea garden at Ouguri village, under the Lakhipather forest range. The elephant is believed to have strayed from the West Block of the Upper Dehing Reserve Forest in search of food when it was electrocuted by an illegally laid power line in the tea garden allegedly owned by Moran.

“When we recovered the carcass, one tusk was missing,” a forest official said. “Following a search operation, we recovered objectionable items and devices from the possession of the accused. During interrogation, he confessed to laying the electric trap and removing the tusk post-mortem.”

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Forest officials believe the act was premeditated, aimed at killing the elephant for its ivory. The seized tusk and other materials have been sent for forensic analysis.

The incident has sparked concern among conservationists, who warn that shrinking forest cover and human encroachment continue to put endangered species like the Asian elephant at serious risk.

An investigation is ongoing.