The cops have also seized 8,000 kg of shark fins worth Rs 45 crore in the international market
The latest 'shark fin soup' fad among the nouveau riche in India, China and Hong Kong may be tasteless but it does come with an extravagant price tag. A single shark fin soup bowl – an aphrodisiac for men and secret to a glowing complexion for women – costs approximately Rs 7,000. The demand for shark-fin soup has reached such dizzying heights that the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence has busted a racket where slayers had killed nearly 20,000 sharks in the Indian waters in the past one year. The cops have also seized 8,000 kg of shark fins worth Rs 45 crore in the international market.
Sources from the DRI said that some exporters were clandestinely exporting it as dried ray skins, dried marine products and fish maw to avoid detection and circumvent prohibition. The DRI team seized 3,000 kg of shark fins from a godown in Sewri, while another 5,000 kg were seized from a godown in Veraval, Gujarat. The DRI intercepted four persons in this operation including the mastermind. The accused have been identified as Sharafat Ali and Hamid Sultan, both brothers and owners of Global Impex Forwarding, having offices and godowns at Sewree, Veraval and Tamil Nadu. The other two men include one Ashiq Ahmed, who accepted orders and made invoices and B Shiva Raman, who mixed the ray skins with the shark fins. "Our probe revealed that they intended to export it to China and Hong Kong. Inspectors from the wildlife department have confirmed it to be shark fins. We have learnt that those apprehended had killed at least 20,000 sharks in in the West coast and Bay of Bengal," said a DRI official.
The Directorate General of Foreign Trade under Ministry of Commerce had prohibited export of shark after a notification issued in 2015.
The shark fins that were confiscated by the DRI on Monday
Although health experts claim that the shark-fin soup does not have any specific benefits, the soup has become the 'it' food item in powerful circles. Once considered as 'manna from above' for emperors and aristocrats, today shark fin soup has become a status symbol at 'by invitation only' parties across Asia.
CAUGHT IN A SOUP
- Shark fin soup is considered an aphrodisiac for men; secret to women’s glowing complexion
- Rs 7,000
Approximate cost of a single bowl of shark fin soup
- 20,000
Sharks killed in Indian waters in the last one year, claims DRI
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