Breakthrough Nature Reserve Core Zone For Hunting Wild Animals, Four Men Arrested For Gang-raping Lizards

JAKARTA - Four men were arrested by the Maharashthra Forestry Department, India in early April for allegedly raping a bengal monitor lizard in the Sahydari Tiger Reserve, near the village of Gothane in Maharashthra, India.

The defendant, identified as a hunter, is suspected of entering the core zone of the Sahydari Tiger Reserve in the Gabha area of Gothane and committing the abhorrent crime, as reported by India Today April 19.

They are Sandeep Tukram, Pawar Mangesh, Janardhan Kamtekar and Akshay Sunil. The alleged rape came after the Maharashtra Forestry Department checked the suspect's cell phone. Officers found footage of the action showing the suspect allegedly raping a lizard in a gang.

The forestry officers stationed at the Sangli Nature Reserve tracked down the suspects with the help of CCTV footage in which they were seen roaming the forest. Providing further details of the incident, the authorities informed that the three defendants had come from Konkan to the Chandoli village of Kolhapur to hunt.

"The defendant has been charged with Article 9, Article 27 and Article 30 under the Wildlife Protection Act 1972. The Ministry of Forestry has taken a legal opinion in this case, charging IPC Article 377. If we cannot take the charge, we will ask the police for help," explained the officer local forestry Vishal Mali, as reported by the Times of India.

Previously, the four were arrested separately. Three people were arrested first on April 2. Another person was arrested on April 4. They were found to have entered the restricted area on March 31.

Mali added that several photos showing the hunting of deer, rabbits, pangolins, porcupines and other animals on the detained cellphones led to the opening of a separate investigation. Meanwhile, a gun used for hunting and two motorcycles used were confiscated by the department.

It is known that the Bengal monitor monitor lizard is a species protected by the 1972 Wildlife Protection Act. If found guilty, the defendant can be sentenced to seven years in prison.