Karnataka - Bangalore

Railway police recover corals, parakeets

— Photo: V. Sreenivasa Murthy

Big find: Roseringed parakeet and reef building corals that were seized by the Railway Police in Bangalore on Tuesday.

BANGALORE: The Railway police on Tuesday arrested Devadutt (50), a resident of Domlur Layout, for his alleged involvement in the illegal wildlife trade. The police recovered 9 kg of corals, including 5 kg sent as a parcel, and three rose ringed parakeets from him.

On a tip-off, a team of Railway Police, led by Deputy Superintendent of Police Madhura Veena, went to the parcel booking office in the City Railway Station. It found a parcel allegedly booked by Devadutt for Rafiq Ahmed Khan (50), an aquarium owner from Mysore, who is already booked for a Forest offence. The police found 5 kg of reef-building corals.

On Tuesday morning, the Railway Police team went to Devadutt’s house in Domlur Layout and found 4 kg of fresh corals worth Rs. 3 lakh and the rose ringed parakeets. Another team went to Mysore and arrested Khan. “We had information about Devadutt sending live specimens illegally. Today we caught him with proof,” said Inspector-General of Police (Railways) K.S.N. Chikkerur.

Superintendent of Police (Railways) H.S. Revanna said the police were collecting more information about Devadutt’s alleged illegal trade and his links with Khan.

Devadutt has been found using trains to send birds and other wildlife products to different places in the country.

The entire haul is valued at around Rs. 5 lakh.

This is the second time Khan has been caught.

On July 10, the State Police’s Forest Cell arrested Khan and recovered 114.5 kg corals worth Rs. 24 lakh from his aquarium on Sade Road in Lashkar Mohalla. Corals and rose ringed parakeets are among the protected species mentioned in the Wildlife Protection Act.

Possession and sale of such species is banned under the Act.

© Copyright 2000 - 2009 The Hindu