Curious Case Of Chandratara: Elephant With Cross-Border Ownership Claims

A domesticated elephant is at the centre of a cross-border ownership claim.

Chandratara had inadvertently crossed the border and allegedly strayed into the Indian territory from Bangladesh a couple of months back, according to one of the claims.

It was found in a border village in Tripura's Unakoti district on September 11 last year.

Atikur Rahman, a Bangladeshi, has claimed it belonged to him and forwarded photographs and ownership documents of the elephant to the Border Security Force (BSF) and the Tripura Forest Department through his relatives in India.

Two others from India have made similar claims.

A local court will the case on January 21.

Legal complexities and the forest department's custody of the elephant have prevented the animal's immediate repatriation.