News of gang rapes and brutalities against animals coming out of India are not very uncommon but, in a bizarre turn of events, four men in India’s Maharashtra state were arrested and booked for allegedly, gang-raping, killing, and devouring a monitor lizard.
According to authorities the accused were arrested for trespassing into what’s believed to be the state’s highly protected forest reserves.
The species, which is protected by law, has been declared endangered by experts.
During the investigation, authorities found pictures of the suspects rapping, cooking, and subsequently eating the rare species.
Division forest officer Vishal Mali told local media that he has never seen a crime of this sort before. Prima facie, the men in their 20s and 30s, committed the crime ‘for fun’, Mali asserted.
“There was no religious or black magic agenda involved,” he said.
While animal rights bodies expressed outrage, health experts expressed
“Not only is this cruel, but there is a risk of zoonotic diseases from this kind of case. There are concerns of men carrying STDs and other infections from their act,”