In a rare incident, an elephant valued at nearly ₹1 crore has been reported to be stolen from Palamu district of Jharkhand. The female elephant, fitted with a tracking chip, is being searched by forest officials and the police.
An FIR has been registered at Medininagar Sadar Police Station in connection with the case.
According to reports, the matter came to light after Narendra Kumar Shukla, a resident of Nandini in Vindhyachal, Mirzapur (Uttar Pradesh), approached Palamu police.
Shukla informed that he had taken custody of the elephant, named Jayamati, from one Sangam Lal through a formal agreement. Due to lack of proper food arrangements in his native village, he brought the elephant to Jharkhand.
Shukla said that he had entrusted the responsibility of caring for the elephant to two individuals of Chunar, Mirzapur.
The two later developed close ties with another elephant owner and travelled with the elephant to the Jorkat area under Sadar Police Station limits in Medininagar, Palamu.
Shukla said he had reached Palamu on August 11, where he saw the elephant along with the mahouts. However, when he returned to the same spot on August 13, both the elephant and the caretakers were missing.
Despite extensive searches across several parts of Jharkhand, neither the elephant nor the mahouts could be traced. On September 12, Shukla submitted a written complaint to Palamu police.
Confirming the incident, a police official said, “During investigation, it was found that the complainant’s female elephant, valued at around Rs 1 crore, has gone missing. An FIR has been registered, and a probe is underway.”
“The forest department has also been alerted about the tracking chip fitted in the elephant, and efforts are being made to trace its location,” he added.
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