Thiruvananthapuram: Two elephant tusks valued at around Rs 2 crore have been stolen from an Army officers’ institute inside Pangode Military Camp, triggering a police investigation into the breach at the high-security facility.The FIR was registered based on a complaint by an officer of the Indian Army’s Madras Regiment at Poojappura police station. A case was registered under Sections 331(4) (house trespass) and 305(3) (theft in sensitive locations) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
According to police, the tusks — displayed inside the officers’ mess as part of the institute’s heritage collection — went missing between February 11 and 12. The theft reportedly came to light after a DJ party was held inside the premises between Wednesday night and Thursday morning.Defence authorities informed police that 17 or 18 civilians had entered the premises to arrange lighting and sound for the event.The tusks were handed over to the Army by the then state govt in 1929 and had been preserved there since then.Krishna Murthy, defence PRO, Kerala, said civilians were allowed entry only for event arrangements and that the matter had been reported to the police.“Since it is a highly secure location with restricted access, suspicion falls on those who entered the camp for the programme as well as insiders. CCTV footage from within and near the camp is being examined,” said a police source.Based on information provided by officials at the military camp regarding outsiders who entered the premises as part of the DJ party, 17 persons from various parts of Thiruvananthapuram were taken into custody on Thursday.Police on Thursday also registered a separate case to keep the suspects in preventive detention as part of the investigation, officials said.Officers at Poojappura police station said interrogation of those detained is under way and a detailed probe is required to recover the missing ivory.BoxIvory possession & sale banned* Ivory is Schedule 1 wildlife article and considered govt property*Possession, transfer and sale banned under Wildlife Protection Act 1972*Ivory can be owned only with mandatory govt certificate but that too can be overridden by Wildlife Act*This rule is to protect people who may own it as part of heirloom but is not encouraged*Courts have prevented earlier attempts to regularise unauthorised possession*In captive elephants, trimming of tusks should be done under strict wildlife department permission and supervision*Ivory seized and kept in strong rooms of forest department should be incinerated as per central govt orders*Defence forces had sought forest department permission for safe keeping ivory by displaying at their camps and offices
