4 people gang-raped with ‘Bengal Monitor Lizard’ in Maharashtra forest, CCTV footage revealed, accused arrested

Four people have been arrested for allegedly misbehaving with the ‘Bengal Monitor Lizard’ in Maharashtra’s Sahyadri Tiger Reserve. The news agency PTI-Bhasha gave this information on Wednesday quoting a forest officer from Maharashtra. The forest officer told the news agency that the incident took place in Gothane village of Ratnagiri district. The matter came to light after an FIR was lodged on March 31 against the accused who illegally entered the Chandoli National Park under the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve.

The forest officer said that the accused are being questioned. They have been identified as Sandeep Tukaram Pawar, Mangesh Kamtekar, Akshay Kamtekar and Ramesh Ghag. The forest officer said, “During investigation, forest rangers found that the accused had allegedly misbehaved with a Bengal monitor lizard. Their action was recorded in the mobile phone of one of the accused. STR’s field director Nanasaheb said, “A case has been registered against the four accused under various sections of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.”

Forest officials posted in Sahyadri Tiger Reserve traced the accused with the help of CCTV footage, in which they were seen roaming in the forest. Giving detailed information about the incident, the officials said that the four accused had come from Konkan for hunting in Chandoli village of Kolhapur. We have recovered all relevant evidence from the accused. They were initially given in the custody of the Forest Department, but now they are all out on bail.

The Bengal Monitor Lizard is a reserve species under the Wildlife Protection Act 1972. If convicted, the accused could face up to 7 years of imprisonment. The ‘Bengal Monitor’ is a large lizard found in the Indian subcontinent as well as parts of Southeast Asia and West Asia. This large lizard lives mainly on land and its total length is about 61 to 175 cm (24 to 69 in).