Gujarat: Python burnt alive in Banaskantha, four persons booked

Four persons from Bodal village in the district have been booked for burning alive a python on Friday and circulating the video of the incident on the social media platform TikTok.

The Forest Department is conducting an investigation in the matter on the basis of the video. Two out of the four accused in the case have been identified.

The department conducted a raid on the house of the accused. However, they fled from the site when they got to know about the raid.

"A video of a python being burnt alive went viral on social media. The two persons who committed the offence have escaped from Bodal village. Python is a Schedule 1 animal under Forest Wildlife Protection Act. An FIR has been registered under section 9 of the aforementioned Act," Bindu Patel, Assistant District Forest Officer said.

"If the crime committed by the offenders is proved in the court, they will then be imprisoned for 3 to 7 years and they will have to pay a fine of Rs 10,000 to Rs 25,000," she added.

The forest department has deployed five teams to trace the accused.