Naagarjuna-Ek Yoddha actress Shruti Ulfat arrested for posing with cobra [Watch VIDEO]

Thane Forest department on Wednesday, February 8, arrested Television actress Shruti Ulfat for posting a picture and a video of her alongside a live cobra on Instagram.

In October 2016, Shruti posted a picture and a video on Instagram (which were deleted later), where she was seen posing with an Indian spectacled cobra. Posing with a live cobra for pictures or videos is in violation of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 (Schedule 1). 

The video soon went viral. The forest department grilled the actress and the production team regarding the use of reptile for shooting purposes. They told the department that it was just special effects and not a live snake. However, a forensic lab report confirmed the snake was real, prompting officers to take action.

Santosh Kank, Range Forest Officer (RFO) Mumbai Territorial told DNA: "We downloaded the video from social media and then sent it to the Kalina forensic lab to ascertain if the video was indeed special effects. However on January 17, we received a report that stated that the snake was real and based on this we sent the actress a notice and filed a Primary Offence Report (POR) and asked her to be present for an enquiry."

He said the actress and two production managers have been booked under Section 9, 39, 48 (a) and 51 of the Wildlife Protection Act. "We are now investigating who caught and provided the cobra and what happened to it as it amounts to hunting and capturing a protected species and once we get information even those will be booked," he said.