Gujarat: Man Who Received Antlers of Spotted Deer As Gift in 1975 Arrested for Illegal Possession

Mumbai, September 27: Receiving a gift proved to be costly affair for a man from Gujarat's Rajkot who was recently arrested by forest officials. According to reports, the man identified as Bachhu Sojitra was held by the forest department officials for illegally possessing horns of spotted deer.

The alleged incident came to light after forest officials of Shetrunji wildlife division received a tip about the accused having horns at his place. After the incident came to light, forest officials arrested Sojitra, who was later granted bail after he paid Rs 20,000 as advance and agreed to pay a penalty. Khosta-2, New COVID-19 Variant Found in Russian Bats, Can Infect Human Beings but No Case Reported So Far: ICMR Scientist.

Speaking to the Times of India, DCF Jayen Patel said, "In the past, it was a tradition in the villages to gift such articles. But after the Wildlife Protection Act came into force in 1972, the department had given time to people possessing these kinds of articles to register them. It's illegal to keep wild animal parts for decoration purposes."

As per reports, Sojita, a resident of a village in Amreli district received the horns as gift from his son's in-laws during the former's wedding. Surprisingly, the accused received the gift way back in 1975 and since then it was his prized possession. Crocodile Attack in Madhya Pradesh: Youth Slips and Falls in Chambal River, Gets Eaten by Reptile.

The antlers of the spotted deer were proudly displayed at his house and people never missed to see it. However, Sojita never thought that the gift which he had for over three decades would actually put him in trouble and get him arrested too.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 27, 2022 11:03 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).