Just two months after getting acquitted in the infamous blackbuck poaching case, Saif Ali Khan is in hot soup again, after the Mumbai Crime Branch recorded his statement in connection with Bulgaria's wild boar hunting case.
According to The Indian Express, the Bulgarian government had written to the Interpol to record Saif's statement after the Bulgarian police booked his agent. Saif's statement was recorded as a witness by the Bandra unit of the Mumbai Crime Branch.
"The actor is a witness in a hunting case probed by the Bulgarian police. After the communication from the Interpol was received, the crime branch, Bandra unit, was asked to record the actor's statement. A team of the Mumbai Crime Branch sleuths from the unit visited the actor's suburban residence and recorded his statement," the leading daily quoted an official, who is privy to the development, as saying.
Another official told the daily that the Bulgarian police booked his agent for organising a hunting of a wild boar for Saif without taking licenses or permits. "The agent has been booked for organising a hunt... without the requisite permits and licence. The Interpol has sought details on the case from the actor," the official added.
Bulgaria is a top hunting destination for foreigners, but according to the rules, foreigners need to present a licence for hunting that is valid in their country or pass an exam to get a licence there. However, in India it is not possible to get a licence as hunting wild animals is prohibited under Wildlife Protection Act (1972).
Saif was earlier involved in the blackbuck poaching case. During the shooting of the film Hum Saath Saath Hain in 1998, the actor along with Salman Khan, Neelam, Tabu and Sonali Bendre allegedly killed two blackbucks, which are considered endangered and protected under Schedule 1 of the Indian Wildlife Act.
While Salman was convicted in the case, Saif and his co-stars were acquitted by the court in April.
