Chennai: Forest department officials conducted an inquiry at M.K. Muthu’s house regarding the video released by actor Vikram, in which he was seen holding a prohibited monkey in his hand.
Actor Vikram had posted a video on his social media showing him affectionately playing with a baby monkey. The scenes of the monkey mischievously pulling Vikram’s hair, and Vikram lovingly playing with it, went viral on the internet.
This monkey is said to be native to Indonesia and is called a lar gibbon. Under the amendment to the Indian Wildlife Protection Act, the commercial purchase, sale, and keeping of internationally protected foreign animals in homes is illegal in India.
As Vikram’s video sparked a major controversy, he removed the video from his social media page. Forest department officials, who were informed, began an investigation into how the actor Vikram got this monkey.
Because information was received that Vikram had fondled the monkey at his daughter’s house, an inquiry was conducted at Vikram’s daughter’s house in Neelankarai. It is noteworthy that Vikram’s daughter is the wife of the grandson of M. K. Muthu, the eldest son of the late former Chief Minister Karunanidhi.
During the inquiry, it came to light that actor Vikram, who had come to see his daughter, picked up the monkey that someone had brought there for sale and fondled it, and also recorded it on video.
Following this, Forest Department officials are conducting a detailed investigation into whether the person selling the prohibited monkey has the proper documents.