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STF busts wildlife smuggling gang, rescues 500 Indian parakeets
The parrots, which are a protected species under the Wildlife Protection Act, were released into their natural habitat by a team of forest department on Friday.
The Prayagraj unit of the Special Task Force (STF) busted an inter-state gang of wildlife smugglers here on Thursday and arrested three of its members who were illegally transporting 500 parrots or Indian parakeets in a vehicle.
The parrots, which are a protected species under the Wildlife Protection Act, were released into their natural habitat by a team of forest department on Friday. However, the department with the help of police, will now launch a probe and trace the source of parakeets that are being trapped and sent to Kolkata for sale.
The team will also take action against those who are selling parrots and other local species of birds and animals at local markets in Prayagraj.
DSP Special Task Force Navendu Kumar said acting on a tip off, the STF team under the leadership of inspector Udayveer Singh and a team of forest department intercepted a car near Bangar Dharmshala on Thursday and rescued 500 local species of parrots.
The parrots were cruelly stuffed inside five cages and even packed inside bags. Three persons were nabbed from the spot who were identified as Mohd Waseem aka Armaan, Mohd Asif of Asansol in West Bengal and the car driver Inzamam of Roshan Bagh area of Prayagraj.
Questioning from the accused revealed that Waseem and Asif had arrived in Prayagraj three days back and they had purchased the parrots from one Gulfam of Mastan Market area. They hired a car to take the parrots to West Bengal.
During questioning, Waseem informed STF team that parrots were in demand in Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Chhatisgarh, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and other adjoining states and even in North eastern states.
These parrots were caught from forest areas of Bara, Shankargarh, Koraon and Meja and wetlands of Ganga, Yamuna, Tons and Belan rivers where they are found in abundance. Local youths are engaged in trapping the parrots.
The trappers usually pick up fledglings from the nest or lay traps for catching large groups of parrots. Sometimes sedatives laced in flour are also used for catching the birds.
Divisional forest officer Mahaveer Kaujlagi said an FIR has been registered against the smugglers under Wildlife Protection Act and other sections of IPC at Kydganj police station.
