The Forest Department arrested three young men after finding two large elephant tusks at their hideout in Sarangal Reserve Forest, near Gudiyatham town in Vellore. The suspects are K. Mani, 22, J. Chinnathambi, 24, and M. Arusamy, 21, from nearby villages. Arusamy discovered the tusks about two weeks ago while hunting in the forest. He then showed the tusks to his friends Mani and Chinnathambi. The trio hid the tusks in the forest as they searched for buyers. During a routine patrol, forest officials led by S. Ragupathy found the three men in the prohibited forest area. The youths gave conflicting reasons for being there. Officials took them to the Pernambut range office, where the men admitted to owning the tusks. The Forest Department seized the tusks from the hideout. T.K. Ashok Kumar, District Forest Officer of Vellore Division, inspected the tusks. Preliminary investigations suggest the tusks came from an old elephant that died in the forest. The three men were arrested and lodged in Central Prison, Vellore. The case is under investigation.