Bhopal: In an unusual case, an eye was raised from Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh, when two were arrested and caught red-handed for caging 27 parrots and capturing them illegally. Shortly after receiving information about the incident, Forest Department personnel arrested the two men and rescued the birds. The parrots are a protected species called rose-ringed parakeets, as defined under the Wildlife Protection Act, the capture, trade, or captivity of which is punishable by law.
Even in the court case, the rescued parrots were witness exhibits, which is the reverse of the usual state of events. After a medical examination, they sent the accused to judicial custody and released the birds 48 hours later.
The official said the two accused, Bhima Mongia and Sonu Kahar, had already set traps to catch the birds on a neem tree in the Kaljakhari area. Each parrot was reportedly being sold for ₹25 to ₹30, which is a violation of wildlife protection laws.
The Forest Department on Sunday produced all the 27 parrots before a special court to report their rescue. Due to the CJM court being closed on that day, a judge at the special court took cognisance of the matter, resulting in the immediate incarceration of the two accused. The suspects all pleaded during the hearing for leniency and committed to never trapping birds again.
For two days, the Forest Department office kept the birds and fed them cucumbers, tomatoes, and chillies. The birds were taken to a field just outside the city and, around 5 pm, were set free in the wild after the CJM court order on Monday.