Five booked for shooting video inside Polo forest

Palanpur: The forest department has booked five persons of a local film crew for illegally entering Polo Forest in Sabarkantha and shooting videos without permission.

The accused including a producer, director, two artists and a make-up man have been booked based on a video that has gone viral on social media platforms, assistant forest conservator Yogendra Desai said on Monday.

The accused include producer Kisan Rawal director Farukh Gaekwad, both residents of Palanpur, artist Jeel Joshi who hails from Ratangadh area of Kankrej taluka and another artist Samarth Sharma, who is a resident of Vastral area of Ahmedabad. A makeup man from Mahisagar district Rakesh Rathod, who was accompanying them, has also been booked.

According to Jayendrainh Vaghela, regional forest officer of Vijaynagar, a forest guard had spotted the crew members on August 7.

“Our forest guard had also asked them not to carry out any such activity in the reserve forest area but they did not pay heed to his warning,” said Vaghela.

“After they made the song viral, we recorded the crime under Indian Forest Act 1927 and under various sections of the Wildlife Protection Act,” he said, adding that the accused have been sent a notice to remain present. So far, none of the five have been arrested.


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