In a major breakthrough in the investigation of the killing of a 15-year-old pregnant elephant in Kerala's Palakkad district, the police have arrested a suspect. The suspect has been identified as Wilson as per reports. He is being questioned by the investigation team. However, apart from Wilson, the names of two other people are also being widely shared on social media, especially on Twitter and WhatsApp even though there has been no official word and any other persons being arrested or even on the identities of those being questioned. Pregnant Elephant Death in Palakkad: 1 Accused Arrested, Informs Kerala Forest Minister K Raju.

Amar Prasad Reddy, media advisor to the Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, in a tweet, claimed that the persons arrested in killing of the elephant are Amzath Ali and Thamim Shaikh. However, he later deleted the post.

Screenshot of Now Deleted Tweet:

He subsequently issued a clarification. "#JusticeForElephants Thanks to @CMOKerala for taking action against the killing of pregnant elephant in Palakkad. My earlier post on this issue is against the cruel killing of elephant, absolutely not on particular group or individual. I demand transparent investigation," Reddy said.

Amar Prasad Reddy Tweet:

A similar tweet was also shared by Journalist Deepak Chaurasia in Hindi. He also claimed that Amzath Ali and Thamim Shaikh are arrested for killing the elephant. However, he also subsequently took down the tweet.

Screenshot of Now Deleted Tweet:

The tweets were taken down but not before they garnered hundreds of retweets and likes on Twitter, leaving the whole case communalised.

Only one person has been arrested in the case and he has been identified as Wilson. This was also reported by DD News Malayalam. The public service broadcaster informed that two more suspects are being questioned. However, their identities are not yet revealed.

DD News Malayalam Tweet:

Netizens are urged to not share any unverified information or give a communal angle to the incident. So far, only one arrest has been made in the case.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 05, 2020 02:42 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).