Assam: Five arrested for illegal hunting of wild birds at Bholakata Beel in Biswanath

Five persons were arrested on December 9, Tuesday for allegedly setting up net traps to hunt wild birds at Bholakata Beel in Biswanath district. The operation was carried out after the Central Range, Biswanath Ghat, received a tip-off about illegal hunting activities in the area.

Acting on the input, a joint team led by the Range Forest Officer of Central Range, Biswanath Ghat, and the Range Forest Officer of the Crime Investigation Range, Biswanath, reached the site and apprehended the accused red-handed.

Forest officials seized one live wild bird, suspected to be a Cotton Pygmy Goose, a Schedule I species under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, along with a fishing net, two mobile phones, one torchlight, and two white bags from their possession.

The five individuals arrested have been identified as Md. Saiful Islam, Anwar Hussain, and Tamsar Ali from Nonkey Japoriguri, Biswanath; Abul Hussain from Borjharoni, Gingia; and Phukir Ali from Brahmaputra Chapori, Gingia, all within Biswanath district.

After their apprehension, the accused were produced before the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Biswanath, on the same day. Legal proceedings have commenced, and the case is under further investigation by the authorities.