A joint team of the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB), the wildlife department and Punjab Police rescued two black kites and a jackal from the residence of a social media influencer in Sekhdaun village near Jagraon after a few his Instagram posts showed protected animals being kept in captivity.
The operation was carried out at the house of Ranjit Singh Rana following a complaint by Narinder Singh, an officer with the Ludhiana Wildlife Range. According to the complaint, several videos uploaded on Rana’s Instagram account allegedly showed protected wild animals being confined, prompting the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau’s northern region sub-regional office in Amritsar to conduct a joint raid.
During the search, officials recovered two black kites and a jackal, which were illegally kept at his house. The animals were taken into the custody of the wildlife department for proper care and further proceedings.
Officials said the black kite is a protected species under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, as amended in 2022, and its capture, possession or confinement without authorisation is a punishable offence.
Assistant sub-inspector Rakesh Kumar of Sadar police station said, “Evidence gathered from the social media videos played a key role in the operation. We are investigating how the animals were acquired, how long they had been kept in captivity and whether any other offences under the Wildlife (Protection) Act were committed.”
{{/usCountry}}Assistant sub-inspector Rakesh Kumar of Sadar police station said, “Evidence gathered from the social media videos played a key role in the operation. We are investigating how the animals were acquired, how long they had been kept in captivity and whether any other offences under the Wildlife (Protection) Act were committed.”
{{/usCountry}}A case has been registered against Rana under Sections 2, 39, 48A, 50 and 51 of the Wildlife (Protection) Act. Further investigation is underway.