Four suspects nabbed in Tawau elephant killing

KOTA KINABALU: Police are believed to have arrested four people in connection with the brutal killing of a Borneo pygmy elephant in Tawau last week.

It is understood that police seized a shotgun and bullets from the suspects during a raid on a house in connection with the attack against the bull elephant at Sungai Udin in Tawau.

The police and Sabah Wildlife Department rangers reportedly carried out the raid under Ops Bersapadu Khazanah.

Tawau district police chief Asst Comm Peter Umbuas confirmed the arrests but declined to comment, saying only that a press conference would be held later on Wednesday (Oct 2) afternoon.

It was learned that the four people detained included three locals and a foreigner, and that the weapons were found concealed inside the house.

On Tuesday, ACP Umbuas had hinted to the media that the suspect was under police radar.

He said police were investigating the case under the Firearms Act, adding that the suspect can also be charged under the Wildlife Protection Enactment.

On Sept 25, members of the public spotted the dead elephant in Sungai Udin in the Kalabakan area of Tawau. Pictures of it went viral on social media, triggering an immediate investigation.

Wildlife Department, together with UK-based Orangutan Appeal and an anonymous donor, offered a total RM30,000 for information leading to the capture and prosecution of the poachers.

An autopsy on the elephant found over 70 bullet wounds on its body, leading wildlife officials to believe that at least 70 shots were fired before it had its two tusks removed.

The gruesome method of killing has sparked outrage not only among conservationists but also ordinary Malaysians.