Actor Vikram’s recently deleted Instagram video featuring a Lar Gibbon has prompted the Tamil Nadu Forest Department to investigate how the exotic animal reached a private residence in Injambakkam, Chennai, and whether the statutory requirements governing its possession and transfer were followed, as reported in The New Indian Express.
Actor Vikram and his sammandhi CK Ranganathan are in a big soup.
This monkey is a Lar Gibbon native to Indonesia. It’s illegal to have it as a pet. It was trafficked from South-east Asia to Manipur to Erode and then to CK Ranganathan’ place in Chennai.
Tamil Nadu wildlife… pic.twitter.com/pk75C30rCN— Siddharth Prabhakar (@Sidprabhakar7) August 10, 2026
According to officials, the video was filmed at the Injambakkam residence of Vikram’s relatives. Chief Wildlife Warden Rakesh Kumar Dogra said the department was examining the circumstances under which the animal reached Chennai and whether all applicable legal requirements had been complied with.
The Lar Gibbon is listed under Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). The acquisition and import of such species are subject to CITES permissions, relevant Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) documentation and permission from the Chief Wildlife Warden of the state concerned.
Documents accessed by TNIE indicate that the animal’s trail can be traced from Chennai to Erode and subsequently to Manipur.
Records show that a Manipur-based stockholder, Laikhuram Singh, declared eight Lar Gibbons, four males and four females in 2020 under the declaration of stock of exotic live species through Parivesh 1. The records identify Malaysia as the country of origin of the animals.
A subsequent Form-I filed under the Living Animal Species (Reporting and Registration) Rules, 2024, records the transfer of three Lar Gibbons, one male and two females, from Singh in Manipur to SK Keshavanathan of Perundurai in Erode. The transaction is dated 5 June 2026, and the stated mode of transfer was adoption. The Form-I remains pending approval by the Chief Wildlife Warden of Tamil Nadu.
Another Form-I records a further transfer involving one male and one female Lar Gibbon from Keshavanathan to Chinni Krishna Ranganathan, owner of CavinKare brand, of Injambakkam on 5 August 2026. The document identifies the mode of transfer as purchase and the purpose as keeping the animals as pets. This Form-I is also pending approval by the Chief Wildlife Warden.
It is noteworthy that CK Ranganathan is the father-in-law of Actor Vikram’s daughter. Additionally, CK Ranganathan is married to Thenmozhi, Karunanidhi’s dranddaughter.
Forest officials have pointed out that registration or declaration of an exotic animal by itself does not establish that its possession or subsequent transfer was lawful. The department is examining whether the animals were legally imported and whether the requisite CITES and other statutory requirements were met at each stage of the transfer.
There are also questions over the age and provenance of the animal seen in Vikram’s video. Sources told TNIE that the Gibbon featured in the video is estimated to be only two to three years old. This would raise questions about whether it could be one of the animals declared by Singh in 2020.
Records also indicate that Singh was 20 years old in 2020, based on the date of birth recorded in his Aadhaar details. Experts have consequently questioned the circumstances surrounding the original declaration and subsequent transfers, particularly given concerns over the use of the Manipur-Myanmar route in the illegal wildlife and exotic pet trade.
Shekhar Kumar Niraj, a former CITES Assistant Management Authority and former India Country Head of TRAFFIC, explained that foreign-origin exotic animals already present in India could be declared under the government’s amnesty advisory only during the prescribed period, which ended in March 2021. He further noted that even animals covered by the advisory were subject to mandatory physical inspection by the state Chief Wildlife Warden before a possession certificate could be issued.
According to Niraj, the temporary amnesty did not override CITES restrictions, including restrictions on commercial trade in species listed under Appendix I. This raises further questions over the subsequent purchase and transfer of the Lar Gibbons recorded in the documents.
The Forest Department’s investigation is expected to establish the provenance of the animal featured in the video, verify the chain of transfers from Manipur to Erode and then Chennai, and determine whether the parties involved possessed the permissions and documentation required under Indian wildlife and CITES regulations.
TNIE reported that attempts to contact Laikhuram Singh, SK Keshavanathan and industrialist Chinni Krishna Ranganathan’s office were unsuccessful. Vikram’s personal assistant reportedly said he was unaware of the controversy.
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