# 431 protected birds among 863 rescued in Delhi Kabootar Market raid 2026-08-12T19:06:19+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet Times of India reports that a joint raid by Delhi police, People For Animals (PFA), World Wide Animal, and the forest and wildlife department at Kabootar Market in central Delhi has rescued 863 animals, of which 431 are protected under wildlife laws. Among the scheduled birds were 72 plum-headed parakeets, 183 ring-neck parakeets, 63 Alexandrine parakeets and 113 munias. The other 432 animals included budgies, cockatiels, lovebirds, guinea pigs, grey squirrels, white mice and rabbits, found in overcrowded and unhygienic cages. An FIR has been registered under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act and Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Five accused, Iqbal Khan, Akash, Kani Ram, Mohammed Adil Khan and Rashid Khan, were bound down. Police are tracing the supply chain, questioning them about the source and procurement of the animals. ## Coverage - timesofindia.indiatimes.com Tags: bird rescue, Delhi Police, illegal pet trade, Kabootar Market, People for Animals, wildlife crime Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/431-protected-birds-among-863-rescued-in-delhi-kabootar-market-raid/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/431-protected-birds-among-863-rescued-in-delhi-kabootar-market-raid/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.