Five held for ‘flamingo poaching’ in Malad wetland

Police said the accused were local fishermen from Malad and had a licensed firearm. (Representational Image)

The Mangrove Cell arrested five persons on Monday in connection with a case of alleged flamingo poaching in a wetland at Jankalyan Nagar in Malad. The accused have been booked under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.

An official with the range forest office (west) of the Mangrove Cell said local residents had informed about a suspected case of poaching in the area on July 10. A team visited the spot but due to heavy rainfall and high tide no evidence of poaching could be found in the wetland. Later, based on the photographs provided by the locals where the accused were purportedly seen with a fire weapon near the wetland, the range office identified and arrested five persons.

Police said the accused were local fishermen from Malad and had a licensed firearm. “We are still verifying whether poaching was done or not. We have sent the jute bags seized from the accused and other items to laboratory… So far, we have not found the remnants of any flamingo,” said Prashant Deshmukh, range forest officer (west). ENS