Shahtoosh shawls worth crores seized

CBI and the newly set-up Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) have seized two major consignments of banned Shahtoosh shawls worth crores of rupees, which were to be exported to the Gulf countries, at the Indira Gandhi International airport here.
    
Two separate cases under various sections of Indian Penal Code and Wildlife Crime Prevention act have been registered against Bhat Shawl's of Kashmir and Jaipur-based Indian Art Gallery in this connection recently for allegedly mixing Shahtoosh shawls with pashmina shawls for export, official sources said.
    
Two major consignments comprising 66 Shahtoosh shawls, costing between Rs two to three crores, meant for export to Qatar and Muscat, were seized by the WCCB officials with the help of CBI at the airport recently, they said.
    
The case came to light when a WCCB official noticed a suspicious looking pashmina consignment meant for export to Qatar at the customs in November last year.
    
"The official found that some shawls were having 'guard hairs'. These are thick pointed fibres of Tibetan Antelope, from which Shahtoosh is extracted, which can be identified by an experienced person only. The parcel was of 455 shwals from a Srinagar-based trader, meant for export to the Gulf," a CBI official said.

The consignment was sent for testing at the Wildlife Institute of India in Dehradun. Out of the shawls sent for testing, 25 were found to be made of Shahtoosh.
    
While investigation in the case was going on, another consignment of 1,290 shawls was seized by the WCCB officials at the IGI airport in December.
    
The officials sent five of the 41 suspicious looking shawls for forensic testing.
    
According to the forensic report, all the five samples were carrying hair of Tibetan Antelope, species under highest category of protection, Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act.
    
The CBI, however, said it would first complete investigations here and would then seek permission to examine the exporters based in foreign countries in this regard and is looking at the international and national linkages involved.     

Shah-toosh, which means "King of Wool" is produced from the fur of endangered Tibetan Antelope also known as Chiru. Skilled artisans weave the shawls from the special fur of the the animal which keeps it warmed even at an altitude of over 5,000 metres.

Unlike Pashmina, which is derived by shearing the goat, Shahtoosh can only be extracted by killing the highly endangered animal.
    
To produce one Shahtoosh shawl, four to five antelopes have to be killed.
    
"In mixed shawls also each piece must have claimed at least one animal," a WCCB official said.
    
In the international market also, trade and owing of Shahtoosh is illegal in all 170 countries signatory to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.
    
Sources in WCCB said that with increased vigilance of global enforcement agencies to thwart the trade, the traders in India are mixing the Tibetan Antelope hair with Pashmina and selling it in the garb of Shahtoosh shawls abroad.
    
Even at the cheapest price, a single mixed shawl ranges between USD 8,000-10,000 in the international market.
    
According to media reports in Dubai, the shawls were available under the counter at a number of high-end boutiques in Dubai for up to Dirham 73,400 (20,000 US dollars) each.     

WCCB sources said Gulf countries like Oman and Qatar were emerging as big markets as well as transit hubs for further export of the shawls to European countries and demand shoots during the festive season of Eid.