Tawau police chief Peter Umbuas confirmed the arrests, but declined to divulge the details for now.

“That is all I can share now. We are still trying to locate more people,” he told FMT.

He said a press conference would be held this afternoon.

The killing of the elephant, believed to be in its 30s, shocked the nation, with photos of its bullet-ridden carcass widely circulated on social media.

The Sabah Wildlife Department said an autopsy on the elephant found that it was shot over 70 times from close range.

Bullets were found on the face, body and back of the dead elephant, and its tusks removed.

It was found tied to a tree on a riverbank by a group of anglers at Sungai Udin, Dumpas in Kalabakan, near Tawau, last Wednesday. It was believed to have died three or four days earlier.