A missing elephant is traced to Bihar. Then, an ownership mystery unfolds

Palamu Police said the case was lodged on August 12 after one Narendra Shukla (45), claiming to be Joymoti’s owner, filed a complaint regarding the elephant’s disappearance.

Speaking to The Indian Express, Shukla claimed the elephant was originally from Assam and belonged to an Assamese resident. “The elephant is originally from Assam but has been in Ranchi,” he claimed. Shukla further claimed he contacted the Assamese man and was given legal custody of the elephant, and he is now the only owner of Joymoti.

SP, Palamu, Reeshma Ramesan, however, said Shukla’s version is being probed as he claimed to be the only owner in his earlier statement, “but we found out there were three other (owners)”

Shukla, meanwhile, claimed he visited Jharkhand from Mirzapur frequently to check on the elephant. Finally, he said, he decided to move Joymoti to UP on foot rather than renting a vehicle as that would require a Transporting Permit (TP). “We left Ranchi on August 4. When we reached Palamu on August 11, I decided to head to Mirzapur first and let the mahouts bring the elephant. I reached home but could not get in touch with the mahouts. I went back to Palamu to look for them, but could not find them,” alleged Shukla. 

According to the police statement, they found the elephant with a man residing in Paharpur, Chhapra.

SP Ramesan said their investigation revealed that the elephant had originally been purchased jointly by Shukla and his three partners for around Rs 40 lakh. “Shukla initially presented the issue as a theft, saying the animal had been taken away and that it was worth nearly Rs 1 crore. Based on the FIR, we treated the elephant as stolen property and registered a case of cheating. However, when we traced the elephant in Chhapra on Monday, further facts emerged,” she added.

“It came to light that the elephant was not under the sole ownership of the complainant, but had actually been bought jointly by four partners. But three partners had executed an agreement and sold the elephant to the man in Chhapra for Rs 27 lakh,” she said. 

The SP explained that since the elephant could not be physically kept at the police station or transported elsewhere, police followed court guidance. “We seized the elephant as case property and, as per law, gave it on jimmanama (custody bond) to the person from whose possession it was recovered. Notices have now been issued to all parties. They have to produce documents at the police station on Monday (October 6). Only after verifying these documents can we establish the actual legal ownership,” she said.

Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), Chaibasa, Satyam Kumar, told The Indian Express that a person transporting a captive elephant must first possess a valid ownership certificate issued by the Chief Wildlife Warden of the respective state. “If the elephant is being transferred under a Power of Attorney from one state to another (for example, Assam to UP)… the transfer must be sanctioned by the Chief Wildlife Warden of the originating state, and then be approved by the Warden of the receiving state. Transporting elephants without these permissions is considered a wildlife offence,” he said. 

The DFO explained that under the Captive Elephant Transportation Rules, 2024, authorities must verify certificates from wildlife wardens of both the sending and receiving states. 

He added that the authorities need to check certificates from the Chief Wildlife Wardens of Assam, UP, and Jharkhand to confirm legal ownership and permission for transport.  “If these are absent, the transport is illegal,” Kumar added. 

Police, along with the Chhapra Forest Department, will probe the case further.

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