Smuggler caught with 7 rare Egyptian Vultures
Birds were being smuggled from Kanpur to Malegaon
New Delhi, Jan. 20 (Delhi Crown): As many as seven rare species of Egyptian Vultures were recovered from a smuggler at Khandwa Railway Station in Madhya Pradesh late on Wednesday.
Identified as Fareed Ahmed, the accused was smuggling the birds in a train from Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh to Malegaon in Maharashtra.
He was subsequently arrested under the “Wildlife Protection Act, 1972”.
According to reports, a passenger travelling on the train noticed a foul smell and informed the ticket inspector. As soon as the train arrived at the Khandwa Railway Station, the ticket inspector informed the Railway Police Force (RPF).
In the joint proceedings of RPF and the Forest Department at Khandwa Railway Station, the accused was arrested. It was found that these vultures were of a extinct species- the Egyptian Vultures.
“The accused is being questioned for details. The vultures will be released in the open after getting permission from court,” said a forest department official.