BHOPAL: Forest department investigators in Madhya Pradesh have plunged into a major probe -- perhaps India's first inter-state endangered vulture smuggling racket.
The alleged racket originating from Central Uttar Pradesh and destined to Malegaon (Maharashtra) was busted in the S-12 coach of Sultanpur-Mumbai Lokmanya Tilak Terminal train at the Khandwa railway station of MP on Tuesday late night.
Acting on specific inputs from Bhusawal in adjoining Maharashtra, about the possibility of rare wildlife species being smuggled in the long-distance train, a joint team of Railway Protection Force (RPF) and state forest department raided its S-12 coach.
"A man identified as Fareed Sheikh (60), a native of Central UP's Unnao district was detained for questioning after his frisking led to seizure of seven (four male and three female) highly endangered Egyptian Vultures, which are also known as White Scavenger or Pharaoh's Chicken," forest department sub-divisional officer (Khandwa) RK Solanki told The New Indian Express on Thursday.
Sheikh, who has been booked under various provisions of the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972, revealed that he was a daily wage labourer who had been rendered the endangered vultures by Kidwai Nagar (Kanpur) resident Sameer Khan. The vultures were to be delivered at Manmad Junction of Maharashtra to Malegaon resident Hashim, who would have given Rs 10,000 to Fareed.
"The arrested man who is presently in judicial custody will be quizzed in detail, once we get his custody. During initial questioning, he revealed that Sameer Khan who gave him the bag full of vultures at Kanpur Central railway station had told him that these vultures were caught using big nets, but the place from where they were trapped isn't known. He has also claimed that the vultures were to be used by the Malegaon resident Hashim for feeding on dead poultry, but this isn't palatable for the investigators," Solanki added.
According to a senior forest department official, the arrested man needs to be questioned in detail about the actual source of these endangered vulture species and the actual purpose for which they were being smuggled. Taking the vultures to feed on poultry, as claimed by Sheikh seems to be aimed at hoodwinking the investigators, the official opined.
Sheikh claimed that it was the first time that he volunteered as a courier for smuggling the vultures, as he was in dire need of money.
Sheikh was travelling in S-12 coach of the train, while he had a reservation was having reservation in S-3 coach of the long-distance train. A confirmed second-class reservation ticket for January 20 return journey, from Manmad to UP, has also been seized from him.
The special task force of the MP Forest Department is likely to join the local brass of the department in Khandwa soon, to further speed up the ongoing probe.
"The rescued Egyptian Vultures have at present been kept in the safe custody of forest department in Khandwa, but once ordered by the competent court, they will be freed in the most suitable forests," the SDO Forest (Khandwa) informed.
Owing to planned and sustained efforts to conserve vultures, the headcount of vultures is significant in MP. As per the 2020-21 vulture estimation, the central Indian state was home to 9408 vultures, including 1509 juveniles and 7899 adults in 1812 habitats.