Police have arrested four men and seized nearly 200 pigeons valued at about Rs. 10 million during a special operation near the port area close to Kalpitiya Fort, Ada Derana reported on Sunday.
The operation was carried out by a special police team acting on the instructions of the Senior Superintendent of Police in charge of the Puttalam Division.
Birds allegedly landed by sea for race betting
Police suspect the pigeons were brought into Sri Lanka illegally by sea and were being prepared for use in pigeon races involving cash betting — the stated motive that distinguishes this case from the island’s more familiar exotic-pet seizures.
Officers also seized a boat believed to have been used in the operation, its engine, and a van.
One of the four suspects is a resident of Mawanella, in the Kegalle district; the other three are residents of Kalpitiya. They are due to be produced before court.
Each bird was valued at around Rs. 50,000, putting the total seizure at approximately Rs. 10 million — an arithmetic that holds against the roughly 200 birds recovered.
A second pigeon route
The case points to a sea route running alongside the air route intercepted earlier this year. In July, Sri Lanka Customs arrested two Wennappuwa pet-shop operators at Bandaranaike International Airport carrying 64 exotic pigeons worth Rs. 3.43 million, bought in Italy and flown in via Dubai in cages concealed inside luggage. That seizure was made under the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance and animal quarantine regulations.
The Kalpitiya birds are individually valued at roughly seven times the July consignment’s per-bird figure, though no outlet has explained the gap.
Not reported
Ada Derana did not name the suspects, identify the breed or origin country of the birds, or say what charges they will face. It did not report whether the Department of Wildlife Conservation, Customs or animal quarantine officers were involved alongside police, where the roughly 200 birds are being held, or whether they will be quarantined, returned or destroyed. No court date was given, and no basis was reported for the Rs. 50,000 per-bird valuation.
At the time of writing, no other verified Sri Lankan newsroom had carried the story.
