Chennai: Exotic bird missing from zoo found with country bomb-maker

Chennai: Police, who arrested a country bomb-maker from Urapakkam, were pleasantly surprised when they found an exotic bird, which reportedly went missing from Arignar Anna zoological park.

Noticing a white-feathered bird in the custody of Mathivanan, Guduvancherry police who arrested the three-membered gang on Sunday for possession of bombs conducted a detailed investigation that unearthed more facts.

The male Moluccan Cockatoo bird, endemic to Indonesia, reportedly went missing from the zoo premises on March 6. Informed sources from the zoo admitted that they had not lodged a complaint with the local police station nor did they inform the higher officials about the same. Surprisingly, all the top officials from the zoo, including the deputy director and the assistant director, failed to respond to the calls made by Deccan Chronicle.

It could be noted that the zoo is equipped with CCTV cameras and three security personnel till the main entrance. Police became suspicious after the crew gave different versions on the presence of the bird. A police officer said, “The g had confessed to having stolen the bird from the zoo. We are enquiring to know if the staff from the zoo is involved in the crime.”

“Of the pair we had, a male bird went missing. Having believed that it would be found on the zoo premises, we did not lodge a complaint,” said a zoo staffer.
 Vandalur zoo officials had lodged a complaint only on Sunday, after which the bird was handed over to them.

Cockatoo facts

Moluccan Cockatoo is a bird endemic to the Moluccas in Eastern Indonesia. A favourite among bird fanciers for its appearance, it can grow up to 46-52 cms and 250 grams of weight.