Friends in UP allegedly beat cat to death, pour petrol to burn animal after believing it brought them bad luck; share video on social media

A woman and her friends allegedly killed a cat and set it on fire in Moradabad's Bhojpur area, believing it had brought them "bad fortune," police said on Tuesday, according to a ToI report.

According to the FIR, Priya, a resident of Laluwala village under Bhojpur police station, and her friends filmed the incident and shared the video on a social media platform linked to Rajiv Singh.

The video, shot on Sunday and widely circulated, shows the group beating the cat, which later died. They then poured petrol on the animal and set it on fire.

What action did officials take?

As per the ToI report, forest officials filed the FIR after receiving an email from the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau, Delhi. The video shows several people standing near the bike, beating the cat.

The accused have been booked under relevant sections of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, which carries a penalty of up to three years in prison and a fine of Rs 1 lakh.

Moradabad divisional forest officer, Suraj Kumar, said, "We traced Priya after verifying the bike's registration number seen in the video. The woman belongs to a nomadic tribe."

Police have yet to locate any woman named Priya. Bhojpur SHO Sharad Malik, said, "We have registered a case against the accused under relevant sections of the Wildlife Protection Act. Our team visited Laluwala village, but the village head could not identify the woman. We are trying to trace her and her accomplices."