Rohtas: Authorities in Bihar’s Rohtas district intercepted a major wildlife smuggling operation on Monday, arresting a 22-year-old man from West Bengal with 40 live birds, including 33 peacocks, the national bird of India. The arrest took place at Dehri-on-Sone railway station during a targeted security operation led by the Railway Protection Force (RPF).
Officers described the rescue as one of their largest successes in recent months against wildlife trafficking networks using long-distance trains as covert transport routes.
Tip-Off Leads to Swift Operation on Kalinga Utkal Express
According to RPF Inspector Ramvilas Ram, the operation began after a specific intelligence alert indicated that the Kalinga Utkal Express (12312 Down) was being used to traffic wildlife. As soon as the train arrived at platform 4, officers launched an immediate search of multiple coaches.
Inside the S-7 coach, they discovered a young man moving suspiciously near the toilet, holding three oversized plastic bags. Upon questioning, he identified himself as Vikram Mukherjee, a resident of Gopalpur, Murshidabad, West Bengal.
Birds Found Jammed in Plastic Bags, Struggling to Breathe
When officers opened the bags, they were stunned to find 33 peacocks, 5 partridges and 2 emerald doves (harial kabootar)—all alive but severely distressed. Stuffed tightly inside the bags, the birds were in danger of suffocation.
“This is a clear and serious violation of the Wildlife Protection Act,” Inspector Ram said. “We acted on headquarters’ input and after proper seizure documentation, handed over both the accused and the rescued birds to the Forest Department.”
The rescued birds were later transferred to the Dehri-on-Sone Forest Department for medical evaluation and rehabilitation.
Teamwork That Led to the Arrest
The RPF team included Inspector Ramvilas Ram, Sub-Inspector Kumar Gaurav, Assistant Sub-Inspector Hreram Kumar, and constables Brijbhushan Mishra and Santosh Kumar Paswan. Officers said the swift coordination prevented further harm to the birds and ensured the smuggler had no chance to escape.
Wildlife Smuggling on Rail Routes a Growing Concern
Officials say railway routes are increasingly being exploited by wildlife trafficking networks. Under Sections 48 and 49 of the Wildlife Protection Act, trade or transport of wild animals or their parts can lead to up to seven years of imprisonment.
This operation follows several recent seizures, including a case in Khagaria where over 200 live turtles were recovered from traffickers.
