Former MP Uduwe Dhammaloka Thera was arrested by the CID over the illegal possession of an elephant calf.

The Department of Wildlife Conservation discovered the elephant cub at the Alan Mathiniyaramaya in January 2015. The two-and-a-half-year-old elephant calf was taken into custody by the Department of Wildlife Conservation. The baby elephant was not registered under the name of Chief Incumbent Uduwe Dhammaloka Thera or the temple.

In February, The Attorney General instructed that former MP Uduwe Dhammaloka Thera should be named a suspect for the alleged possession of an unregistered elephant cub and that he could be charged under the Fauna and Flora Act. The AG also instructed the Director of CID to take measures to produce Dhammaloka Thera before court after recording a statement.