UP woman, her friends kill cat, set it on fire for 'bringing misfortune' by crossing their path

BIJNOR: A woman and her friends allegedly killed a cat that crossed their path and set it on fire for bringing "bad fortune" to them in Moradabad's Bhojpur area, police said on Tuesday.
According to FIR, Priya, in her early 30s, from Laluwala village under Bhojpur police station, and her friends also recorded the act and posted it on a social media platform belonging to Rajiv Singh.
The video, shot on Sunday and circulated widely, shows the women beating a cat, which later died. They then poured petrol on it and set it on fire.
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."