Guwahati, Sept. 12 -- A five-year-old elephant seized in Assam's Golaghat district has become the centre of a dispute over its ownership, paperwork, and movement between forest divisions, after conservationists said the animal was found without valid documents and its microchip failed to match any registered record.

The elephant was seized on Friday after residents complained to the Jamuguri Range office that it was being used to solicit money from devotees and was causing disturbances at Sri Sri Athkheliya Namghar. A forest team from the Giladhari Beat Office brought the elephant to the Jamuguri Range Office following the complaint.

Sources said the two mahouts present told officials the elephant belonged to one Asraf Ali and that owne...