Wayanad: The Forest Department has registered a case against seven vloggers for allegedly entering a prohibited forest area without permission and filming videos. The incident took place on Sunday night in a wildlife-sensitive zone under the South Wayanad division.

According to a communiqué issued by South Wayanad Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Ajit K Raman, the group—led by Kathiyanveedu Sagar (33), a resident of Mooriyadu near Chalappuram in Kozhikode—entered the forest through Udayakkara on five two-wheelers. The team also included women.

The videos were later uploaded to the Instagram page ‘travelogues_of_vaisakh’, showing the riders removing steel wires placed across the jungle road as part of power fencing meant to prevent wild animals from straying into human settlements.

The DFO said strict action will be taken against those who trespass and disturb wildlife. The group is also accused of damaging the fencing at the forest entry point.

Chethalath Forest Range Officer M K Rajeev Kumar, who leads the probe, told Onmanorama that the zone experiences continuous wildlife movement, including elephant herds. “Even during the day, riders hesitate to enter the stretch as escaping from a charging elephant on such a narrow road would be nearly impossible,” he said.

The offence carries a punishment of one year or more of imprisonment, with or without a fine. While the identities of the others are known, officials said their complete addresses are yet to be verified. Sagar has been instructed to appear before the investigating officer on Thursday.