A man in Kazakhstan has been jailed after vandalising a protected natural site by writing his name and car number on rock formations in a bid to gain attention on social media.

The incident took place at the scenic Ybykty Sai gorge in the Mangystau region, where the offender defaced the rocks with permanent markings. A video of the act quickly spread online, prompting public outrage and a police investigation, The Caspian Post reports via Tengrinnews.kz.

Police officers later identified the suspect, a local resident, 21 , who was detained by law enforcement. He was initially ordered to remove the graffiti and fined for petty hooliganism, but the case was later escalated.

Kazakhstan’s Interior Ministry confirmed that a criminal case was opened on charges of vandalism. The court ultimately sentenced the man to 25 days in detention.

Officials have warned that such actions are increasingly common as individuals damage natural and historical sites for viral content and online attention. They stressed that these acts are not harmless “pranks” but punishable offenses under the law.

In Kazakhstan, vandalism of protected sites can result in heavy fines, community service, or prison sentences of up to several years, depending on the severity of the damage.