THRISSUR: Shibu, 40, the mahout who tried to kill the famed elephant Thechikkottukavu Ramachandran on August 7, committed suicide on Saturday. The police suspect that he may have resorted to the extreme step due to his guilty conscience over the failed attempt.
He had planned to give the tusker rice mixed with blade pieces, but it was detected at the last minute. This had led to an uproar as it is one of the top tuskers in the state.
The mahout is believed to have consumed poison on Friday. Peramangalam sub-inspector Umarul Farooq said, “The brand of the blade recovered from the rice mix was the same used by Shibu. We are awaiting scientific examination of the blade pieces with the court’s permission to ascertain the real reason and fix the culprit. Shibu committed suicide by consuming poison in granule forms by mixing it with water,” said Mr Farooq.
The mahouts’ organisation to which Shibu belonged did nothing after the controversy broke out, it is said. At the place where rice is mixed, there is no CCTV but it is present where the elephant is fed.
