Two men were arrested from a wetland in North 24-Parganas on Friday evening for allegedly catching birds with nylon nets.

Two birds, a bronze-winged jacana and a sandpiper, were rescued from the two, said a forest official.

The Telegraph has been reporting on how nylon nets spread over wetlands and marshlands in the city and nearby districts are maiming and killing migratory and resident population of birds.

North 24-Parganas is home to several such wetlands. People have been setting up nets to trap fish-eating birds and then selling the bird meat, forest officials said.

The Friday arrests took place at a wetland in Chandpara in North 24-Parganas, over 60km from Calcutta.

“We had a tip off about nets being laidand some people sneaking into the wetland in the evening to take the birds,” said Tamal Das of Human and Environment Alliance League, the NGO that was part of the operation with foresters.

The team members reached the wetland around 8pm on Friday.

After a wait in the dark, flashes of torchlight led the team to the accused. The team members posed as prospectivebuyers for the birds.

The two were arrested after they brought the birds out of their bags. “We also found nets spanning 100m from the wetlands,” said Das.

The arrested persons were identified as Sujit Adhikari and Gautam Majumdar, both local residents. The two were produced in a court which has sent them to judicial custody till January 11. “The rescued birds are listed under Schedule IV of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. If convicted, the maximum term the two face is three years in jail,” an official said.