The carcass of an adult female elephant, guarded by a calf, was found atBanspahari in West Midnapore district Thursday.
A senior forest official said the dead adult elephant could be part of the group of five jumbos roaming the forested belt.
The calf was believed to be its child refusing to leave the side of its mother, the official said.
The reason of the death could be ascertained only after a forest department squad and veterinary doctor examined the carcass, he said.
A section of locals, however, claimed a part of the tusk of the jumbo was missing hinting foul play behind the death.
Hundreds of people in the adjoining villages assembled in the afternoon to have a look of the dead elephant and its calf as police kept the surging crowd away.