Stolen or sold? The strange case of elephant theft in Jharkhand, interstate hunt and a shocking twist

Jayamati, a female elephant

Jayamati, a female elephant, has become the centre of a story that people won’t forget anytime soon. This unusual event spans three states, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Bihar, and began with what appeared to be a complaint about elephant theft, NDTV reported.

Around two weeks ago, Narendra Kumar Shukla, a resident of Jaunpur in Uttar Pradesh, filed a police complaint in Palamu district of Jharkhand. He alleged that his elephant, Jayamati, was stolen while being transported from Ranchi in Jharkhand to Jaunpur.

According to Shukla, the theft was orchestrated by the elephant’s mahout. Shukla said he had bought the elephant to continue a family tradition of keeping elephants. The elephant and its mahout had allegedly gone missing from Jorkat in Palamu sometime in mid-August.

Jayamati was later traced to Chhapra in Bihar, where she was found in the possession of a man named Gorakh Singh. Singh claimed he had purchased the elephant for Rs 27 lakh. Initially, police suspected that the mahout had planned to sell the elephant illegally.

However, further investigation revealed an unexpected twist. Palamu Police Chief Reeshma Ramesan stated that Shukla had not purchased Jayamati alone. The elephant was actually bought jointly by Shukla and three others for Rs 40 lakh.

“Shukla initially presented the case as a theft, claiming the elephant was worth nearly Rs 1 crore. We registered a case of cheating. But when the elephant was traced in Chhapra, further facts came to light,” the police official was quoted by NDTV as saying.

The investigation showed that the three partners had legally sold Jayamati to Gorakh Singh for Rs 27 lakh, contradicting Shukla’s claim. Gorakh Singh has provided valid purchase documents, and the elephant is currently with him on a custody bond.

Police have asked all parties to present relevant documents to determine the actual legal ownership. “Only after verifying these documents can, we establish the rightful owner,” Ramesan added.