Thrissur | The carcass of a wild elephant with a missing tusk was found buried at a private property in a village near a forest area in this central Kerala district on Friday.

Forest officials said the property owner is absconding, raising suspicion that the elephant was trapped and killed for ivory.

Terming the incident "mysterious", Kerala Forest Minister A K Saseendran ordered a thorough investigation.

The carcass, which was roughly 20 days old, was found buried on private property near the forest area under the Machad Range in the district.

Talking to reporters in Kannur, Saseendran said the elephant might have been electrocuted or killed by other means.

"If it was electrocuted or found dead, the locals could have informed the forest department. But it did not happen. The concerned DFOs have been instructed to conduct a probe. The police will also probe the matter," Saseendran said.

Launching the investigation, forest officials said they were examining if there was any connection between the incident and a recent seizure of a tusk from Kodanad range in Ernakulam district.

Forest officials said the search was conducted based on a tip-off they received yesterday.

Machad Range Forest Officer Sreedevi Madhusoodhanan told the media that they had conducted a preliminary inquiry based on the tip-off, which proved correct. "Today we conducted an inspection of the property and found the elephant buried," she said.

The officials also intensified the search to trace the property owner.