200 rare birds seized at Kalupur railway station

Who is Munnabhai? This question kept intriguing forest and police officials on Sunday. The officials came across the name when a parcel containing 200 birds arrived at Ahmedabad in the Howrah Express. The parcel was addressed to a mysterious man called Munnabhai.

The Railway police detained a middleman who had arrived at the Kalupur railway station to pick up the parcel. The man, Mohammed Shaikh, was apprehended for committing the offence of picking up the birds.

Cops said that Shaikh is a resident of Saraspur. When questioned, Shaikh simply told the police that he was supposed to deliver the parcel to Munnabhai and he was in contact with him over phone.

DySP (A’bad division), GD Trivedi told DNA, "We had kept a watch on the platform. The parcel was being carried in the train. The case has now been handed over to the chief conservator of forest."

What has surprised the police is that the birds placed in an enclosed van managed to survive with little oxygen for a period of 72 hours. The train left Howrah on February 19 afternoon and reached Kalupur railway station on Sunday afternoon. Officials said that the birds which were rescued are protected under the Schedule-4 category of the Wildlife Protection Act. These birds include lovebirds, parrots, doves and pigeons.

DFO, VJ Parsana, told DNA, “The important thing here is that this is an act of cruelty against birds. They were transported here so that they could be sold off.” He said that the birds would be taken to Indroda Park where they will be set free on Monday.