Bhubaneswar: A YouTuber from Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district has been arrested for allegedly cooking and consuming the meat of a protected monitor lizard, a rare species, and sharing a video of it on social media.
The accused has been identified as Rupa Nayak, a resident of Asanbani village.
According to sources, Nayak found a dead lizard on a roadside near Banta while returning from Bhadrak, took it home, cooked it, and posted a video of the process on Facebook and YouTube.
The video quickly went viral, prompting the Forest Department to initiate an investigation and register a case suo motu. The YouTuber was taken into custody and subsequently arrested under multiple sections of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, including Sections 2(16)(a)(b), 9, 39(1)(b), 48(a)(b) and 50(1).