Pawsome, a Tripura-based animal rights NGO rescued 12 baby parrots and three Indian hill mynahs from a person who was illegally trying to sell the birds in a local pet shop late on Saturday evening here.

Wrighbed Dutta, the general secretary of the NGO, told The Telegraph, “We conducted a sting operation to expose a wildlife smuggling racket since the past few months. Today when the purported smuggler came here in a local pet shop to sell the baby birds, our volunteers apprehended him and handed over to the forest department.”

Dutta smelled a racket as the apprehended person had confessed that he collected the birds from another person living in Teliamura subdivision of Khowai district. The accused person was identified as Ratnadip Das who demanded Rs 750 for every baby parrot and Rs 1,150 for every mynah.

Sadar sub-division forest range officer Prasenjit Debbarma said, “We have detained Ratnadip Das who was trying to sell these birds. He was charged with violating the Wildlife Protection Act. He is a resident of the Noabari village of Jirania in West Tripura. When he came to sell the birds, volunteers of the NGO apprehended him and handed over to us. The detainee was

medically tested at a hospital and kept under the custody of a local police station,” the forest official said, adding that the birds would be handed over to Sepahijala wildlife sanctuary.