Digboi: A captive elephant had its tusks cut by unidentified persons in Dulijan under the Lakhipathar Forest Range of Digboi Forest Division in Assam’s Tinsukia district on the night of April 14. An investigation is underway.
Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Rohini Kumar Das said questioning of suspects is ongoing as officials try to solve the case. “A dedicated team is examining every angle. We are committed to cracking the case at the earliest,” he said.
Sources said the investigation is also looking into possible insider involvement or links to organised wildlife crime groups. At least ten people have been questioned in the past five days, and officials said they have obtained some leads.
Sources in the wildlife department said legal action will be taken against those found involved. “Every individual linked to the crime, including the perpetrators and facilitators, will be booked under relevant provisions of wildlife laws,” a source said.
The Investigation Officer said social media posts and media reports are also being examined, and digital activity is being analysed for information.
It was found that one of the elephants, ‘Mangal Singh’, had its tusk cut at the root while it was still alive. Experts have raised doubts about whether this could have been done without using anesthesia or tranquilizers, suggesting some level of planning.
Officials could not conduct a urine test within 24 hours to check for anesthetic use, as the Digboi forest authorities came to know about the incident only on April 16, nearly two days later.
Sources said an NGO, Wildlife SOS, which was working in the Doomdooma Division, treated the injured elephant the next morning, within 12 hours of the incident, but did not conduct a urine test and did not take official permission from any Divisional Forest Officer. This has raised questions about missing early evidence.
In May 2025, a similar case in the same Lakhipathar range, involving the electrocution of a wild elephant and removal of a 1.6-foot tusk weighing about 1.8 kg, was solved within 19 days under then DFO Sandeep Bendi.
With the investigation ongoing and some leads found, attention is now on how quickly the current team can solve the case.
The incident has also pointed to gaps in monitoring and protection of elephants in the area, leading to calls for better surveillance and accountability.