One Accused Arrested In The Kerala Pregnant Elephant Killing Case, More People Under Scanner

Kerala Chief Minister, Pinarayi Vijayan had said on Thursday that three suspects were under the scanner over the death 15-year old pregnant elephant.

This photograph taken on May 27, 2020 shows policemen and onlookers standing on the banks of the Velliyar River in Palakkad district of Kerala state as a dead wild elephant (C), which was pregnant, is retrieved following injuries caused when locals fed the elephant a pineapple filled with firecrackers as it wandered into a village searching for food. (Photo by STR / AFP)

New Delhi: One person accused in the death of a pregnant elephant in Kerala's Palakkad district has been arrested by police, the state forest department said on Friday. "KFD has zeroed in on the culprits and recorded the first arrest in the wild elephant death case", the department said in a tweet. The Kerala Forest Minister also said, "it is not just this person and more people were involved in the brutal killing of the elephant and the police and forest department are carrying out further investigation to nab the others." Kerala Chief Minister, Pinarayi Vijayan had said on Thursday that three suspects were under the scanner over the death 15-year old pregnant elephant.  Personnel of Kerala police and the forest department's Crime Investigation Team who are probing the incident visited the spot and collected evidence, he said. The 15-year old pregnant elephant is suspected to have eaten a pineapple filled with firecrackers which exploded in the animal's mouth in the Silent Valley Forest and it died in Velliyar River about a week later. The man arrested in the case has been alleged to have fed the pineapple to the creature. After the gruesome incident came into light, it gave rise to a massive outrage in the country against the human cruelty. Politicians, celebrities and cricketers expressed their anguish over the incident and called it an inhumane act. Social media platforms also flooded with posts demanding justice for the creature and her unborn child.  Kerala Governor, Arif Mohammed Khan also expressed his anger over the incident and said "thousands of petitions from Kerala and outside" have been filed and the public outrage "evoked by this shocking event is certainly understandable". People across the world have also expressed their outrage through a petition platform over the inhumane killing of a pregnant elephant in Kerala. In less than 24 hours, as many as 927 petitions have been filed on the petition website Change.org and over 13 lakh people have signed these demanding the perpetrators of this cruel act be punished. Also watch: Elephant killing in Kerala: One accused arrested