After a video went viral which showed some men apparently scaring a lion and following it with an excavator machine, Gujarat police took action.
Three persons were arrested on 11 January 2023 for allegedly harassing the lion and chasing it away from its prey. The video was recorded in Amreli district's Jafrabad on 10 January.
The investigation by the forest department also revealed the trio not only harassed the lion by chasing it, but also drove the wild cat away from its prey, the release said. Lion is a schedule-1 animal under the Wildlife Protection Act and such acts are prohibited by law, the forest department said.
Following a probe into the incident, the forest department arrested Manoj Vansh (30), a resident of Gir Somnath district, Rana Kalita (30), a native of Assam, while the third accused is aged 18 and hails from Uttar Pradesh.
They were booked under relevant sections of the Wildlife Protection Act. Since the magistrate's court at Jafrabad rejected their bail upon their production on Wednesday, the trio was sent to jail.
(With PTI inputs)
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