KOCHI: The forest department will issue a notice to actor and union minister Suresh Gopi on the complaint for wearing a chain with pendant of leopard tooth. The forest department's action is based on the complaint of a youth congress activist. The notice to be issued will ask him to produce the pendant and appear before the Thrissur Divisional Forest officer and explain about it. They will examine whether the pendant is real leopard tooth or some other material. It is an offence to possess leopard tooth under the Wildlife Protection Act.
The complaint is that Suresh Gopi was seen wearing a chain with the pendant resembling a leopard tooth during some events held in Thrissur and Kannur. The complainant then approached the police and the forest department. Suresh Gopi will have to appear before the DFO and explain about the pendant. Other steps will be taken after he replies to the questions of the DFO raised in this regard. The forest department had earlier arrested Rapper Vedan on the same issue.