Bollywood star, Khan jailed for killing antelope

Popular Bollywood star Salman Khan has been sentenced to five years in prison for killing a rare antelope. He was sentence Thursday by an Indian court for killing the endangered wildlife nearly two decades ago. “The court has given a five-year jail term and fined Salman Khan 10,000 rupees ($150),” prosecution lawyer Mahipal Bishnoi told […]

Popular Bollywood star Salman Khan has been sentenced to five years in prison for killing a rare antelope.

He was sentence Thursday by an Indian court for killing the endangered wildlife nearly two decades ago.

“The court has given a five-year jail term and fined Salman Khan 10,000 rupees ($150),” prosecution lawyer Mahipal Bishnoi told reporters outside the court in the Rajasthan city of Jodhpur.

Also known as the bad boy of Indian cinema, Khan was taken into police custody and driven to jail after the sentencing amid chaotic scenes outside court.

However, Khan denied poaching the antelope in 1998.

He further accused Rajasthan’s forest department of framing him over the black buck case while appealing his conviction for the crime.

His defence lawyers had suggested the black bucks died of natural causes such as overeating, and claimed there was no evidence they had been shot.

The story has made headlines in India for years.

Hundreds of police were deployed outside the courtroom to keep back fans who massed to support the body-building actor best known for his macho roles.

Other Bollywood stars — Saif Ali Khan, Sonali Bendre, Tabu and Neelam Kothari — were also accused of joining the hunting trip but were acquitted for lack of evidence.