Madurai circle conservator NiharRanjan said they received specific information that the man, identified as Mani, had been staying at a lodge in Tirupur. Following this, a special team went to Tiruppur on Saturday and arrested him with the help of local forest officials.

Cases had been registered against him in Periyar Tiger Reserve (Kerala), Mudumalai Tiger Reserve and Udumalapet range in the Aanamalai Tiger Reserve (both in Tamil Nadu) for poaching elephants, Nihar said. He was said to be involved in elephant poaching in Karnataka too. Mani had managed to escape after investigations began in Kerala, he said.