A monitor lizard (Vishkhopda) emerged in the house of a businessman in a posh area near Wadala Chowk in Jalandhar, Punjab. The wild lizard caused panic in the household for about 8 hours before the forest department team reached the spot. After a lot of effort somehow the huge lizard was caught and released in a forest.
According to the information received, the family first saw the said wild lizard roaming in the lobby of the house. After a wave of panic, the forest department was immediately informed about it and the said animal was rescued. The family told that there is a huge plot next to their house which could possibly be where the animal came from.
Department officer Jaswant Singh informed Pradeep Sharma, an employee of the rescue team of Jalandhar Range, about the matter and ordered him to immediately go to the spot. Pradeep reached there and captured the said wild lizard within half an hour. It was then locked in a box on the spot and immediately released in the forests of Hoshiarpur.
The lizard is known by many names, such as Vishkhopda, wild lizard, monitor lizard and others. According to the family, a similar long lizard had come out from inside the house about a week ago, but it left on its own accord. It is also the beginning of the monsoon season which likely means that such sightings will become relatively common in the upcoming days.