An elephant named after the late al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden that killed five Indian villagers has been caught after a massive operation to hunt down the creature, officials said Monday.

Wildlife officers tracked the pachyderm -- dubbed "Laden" by the locals it menaced in northeastern Assam state -- through a forest for several days using drones and domesticated elephants.

"We started the final leg of the operation today... Two darts were fired by experts which had tranquilised the male elephant," a senior forestry official told AFP.