Fake photos of leopard in Nainod village go viral

Indore: Aerodrome police have launched a probe into the incident of photographs of a leopard, claimed to be present in Nainod village, going viral on social media leading to panic among locals on Friday. Forest department had approached the police with a complaint in this regard.
“A few incidents had been reported in the recent past of people making false claims of spotting a leopard.On Friday morning, some photos of a leopard went viral indicating wild cat’s presence in and around Nainod village. All the photos are fake,” DFO Mahendra Singh Solanki said.
“During initial probe, one person has been identified for making these leopard photos viral and claiming them to be of Nainod village,” he said.
SDOP Yohan Katra said that acting on the complaint, Aerodrome police launched a probe after registering a case of non-cognizable offence under section 155 of CRPC for spreading fake photos and information about a leopard on social media.
Solanki said that forest department teams have been active from the last 20 days in Nainod village, Super Corridor and nearby areas, where some people have claimed to have spotted a leopard which has also been confirmed by some videos and pugmarks. “We have asked people to stay alert and inform us on spotting the big cat and have also requested them not to spread any fake information and not believe any rumours,” he said.
The forest department still has cages placed at strategic locations and their teams are carrying out searches, especially after sunset, in and around Nainod village for the wild animal.