Last Updated: September 07, 2022, 22:04 IST
Gir forest in Gujarat is home to the Asiatic lion. (Image for representation: Instagram)
Forest officials said they found out about the incident via a social media post and started an investigation to nab the person
A 25-year-old man was arrested for “harassing” Asiatic lions in Gujarat’s Gir forest by chasing them around on his two-wheeler and then posting a video of it on social media platforms.
The forest department identified the youth as Devku Mobh from Bhavradi village in Amreli district. According to forest officials, they found out about the incident via social media and started an investigation to nab the accused.
“On the basis of a video posted on social media platforms, in which a man was harassing lions and other wild animals by chasing them on his bike, we have arrested Devku Mobh, a resident of Bhavradi village of Khambha taluka in Amreli district. We have booked him under various sections of the Wildlife Protection of Act, 1972,” Rajdeepsinh Jhala, deputy conservator of forests, Gir (East), told News18.
The forest department said it also seized a bike and a mobile phone used in the crime and is further probing the case. Any kind of harassment to wildlife amounts to poaching and a person might have to serve up to seven years of jail term, officials added.
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