HYDERABAD, Nov 20: Police on Tuesday detained a consignment of birds species believed to be meant for transportation to a Gulf country in a Fokker plane, parked at the Hyderabad airport. While the police took away the consignment after taking its custody from Customs officials, Sindh wildlife department tried in vain to get the detained birds.

There were an unspecified number of falcons and other bird species taken away by the police despite insistence by SWD officials for their custody since it was the custodian department, said an SWD official. “But police didn’t listen to our argument,” he added.

Reports said that the consignment was to be flown to a Gulf country and a Fokker plane had arrived at the Hyderabad airport for the transportation. The falcons kept in cage-like boxes were brought to the airport on board some vehicles. The exact number of the birds could not be known as police and Customs officials were not coming forward to share details. The only available official was SWD Conservator Hussain Bux Bhagat. “Actually details are still sketchy and I have asked deputy conservator, Hyderabad, Taj Mohammad Sheikh, to send me a detailed report about whether it was a matter of illegal trading or the falcons belong to some Gulf dignitaries, who had visited Thatta district for hunting and had since left for their home country,” he said.

Mr Bhagat said that Pakistan government had allowed certain Gulf dignitaries to bring in around 200 falcons for using them in their hunting expedition and then take them away. “Such bids’ entries are made by Customs and SWD officials at the relevant airport simultaneously, but being the custodian department, we should have been taken on board”, he argued.

He maintained that entries had to be made at the time of their arrival and departure. “But in this case, Custom officials didn’t listen to the SWD official concerned who kept insisting that the species should be handed over to him as it is the SWD jurisdiction. “We are not being even informed as to why these species are stopped and handed over to the police or whether the birds belong to foreign dignitaries or are owned by some private party,” he said. An exchange of hot words is said to have taken place at the airport between officials of different departments on the issue. A PIA official requesting anonymity claimed that a plane from Doha had arrived at the airport to transport the birds consignment. “We learnt that some associates of a tribal chieftain of Jamshoro district had brought the birds to the airport and they possessed the required permission but Customs official intercepted the consignment outside the airport building,”, he said. Then police intervened and took away the species from customs officials, he added.