The Crime Branch has arrested an absconding accused in the 2005 theft of elephant tusks and around 100 kg of sandalwood billets from a Forest department warehouse near the Kasaragod railway station.

The accused, Mohammed Farid, 60, also known as Mohammed Fathid, was arrested by a team led by Kasaragod Crime Branch Deputy Superintendent of Police Madhusoodanan Nair.

Farid had gone into hiding after securing bail in the case, despite the filing of the chargesheet. He was produced before a court and remanded in judicial custody for two weeks.

Part of gang

According to Crime Branch officials, Farid is an active member of a gang allegedly involved in several similar thefts across Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.

The theft took place on the night of June 22, 2005, when a gang allegedly entered the Forest department warehouse near the Kasaragod railway station. The gang is accused of overpowering and tying up the night watchman before escaping with two elephant tusks and approximately 100 kg of sandalwood billets in a van.

The Crime Branch traced the accused using technical evidence and intelligence inputs before arresting him during an operation in Karnataka.

Investigators said Farid’s interrogation has yielded fresh information about the case, including details about other absconding accused and additional aspects of the crime.

More arrests expected

The Crime Branch said more arrests are expected in the case. Officials described the arrest of one of the key absconding accused in the two-decade-old case as a significant breakthrough in the investigation, and said further legal proceedings are under way.

When the case was registered, allegation had surfaced that the gang had attacked the Forest department warehouse and looted the wildlife articles and forest produce on behalf of certain persons in Kasaragod.

Published - July 28, 2026 03:49 pm IST