Tamil Nadu: A parrot fortune teller named Selvaraj was arrested on Tuesday in the Cuddalore district of the state for keeping the parrot in his captivity. He was later released with a warning. The developement happened after a video in which the parrot fortune teller was seen predicting the victory of Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) party's candidate Thangar Bachan, an ally of NDA in the state.  


Bachan is contesting the upcoming Lok Sabha elections from the Cuddalore constituency. 


Following the viral video, the Cuddalore District Forest Department took action against the fortune teller for caging the green parrot.


Cuddalore District Forest officials stated that the fortune teller Selvaraj and his brother Srinivasan were detained in Panrutti for caging the parrot. However, they were later released with the warning.


Cuddalore district forest ranger J Ramesh stated that parrots are categorised under scheduled II species under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. They also stated that keeping the bird in captivity is a crime, a report by the Times of India noted.


 Selvaraj, the fortune teller, shot to instant fame after PMK candidate and cine director Thankar Bachan requested him to predict his future and fortune on Sunday. 


Folloing his request, the fortune teller predicted that Bachan would emerge victorious in the polls. The prediction was made on the basis of a card selected by the parrot for the PMK candidate. The card had the image of Lord Azhagumuthu Iyyanar, the report added.


Thereafter, Bachan sought the blessings of Lord Iyyanar, the presiding deity of a temple which was located just a few minutes, before Bachan encountered the fortune teller.


As per the report, the forest officials stated that Selveraj would be released with a warning and a penalty of up to Rs 10,000.


The detention of the fortune teller had sparked widespread reactions, slamming Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) government for arresting him, since he predicted that the PMK candiate would win the Lok Sabha polls.


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