KOLKATA: With the Bengali’s favourite Ilish (hilsa) continuing to remain elusive despite initial hopes of a good catch along the West Bengal coast, an enterprising few seem to be making most of the opportunity by smuggling in the fish from Bangladesh. On Wednesday, even as the state observed the first total lockdown of the month, Border Security Force (BSF) personnel stopped a truck at the International Check Post (ICP) at Petrapole in North 24 Parganas, with nearly 126kg of hilsa hidden inside.
It was estimated that the fish could have been sold between Rs 1,000 and Rs 1,200 per kg to traders who may have charged up to Rs 2,000 per kg from buyers in the retail market, depending upon the size of the fish. It is also suspected that many such consignments may be slipping across the India-Bangladesh border through the porous border with West Bengal.
“Around 10pm on Wednesday, troops of the 179Bn of the BSF stopped a truck near the passenger gate of the ICP at Petrapole for a routine search. The fish was packed in nine white bags in a secret compartment inside the cabin of the truck. The driver, identified as Biplab Shil, a resident of Dinbandhunagar in Bongaon, has been apprehended and handed over to the police along with the bags. During interrogation, Shil has confessed that he was on his way back to India after delivering goods to Bangladesh, when one Miraj Chaudhary handed over the consignment for transport to India. Shil was to hand over the bags to Khokan, a security guard at the parking space in Narharipur in Bongaon and receive Rs 5,000 for his effort. Khokan was to hand over the fish to somebody named Pankaj,” said a senior BSF official.
Hilsa from Bangladesh is not uncommon in the markets of Kolkata and the districts, but the fish is exported officially by the neighbouring country much later in the season. However, there was a dispute that held up exports from Bangladesh for seven years. This ended in 2019. The Bangladeshi variety normally doesn’t fetch the price that the fresh catch does. Traders, however, said that with a severe crisis in the market, even the Bangladeshi hilsa may have touched Rs 1,800-2,000 per kg.
It was estimated that the fish could have been sold between Rs 1,000 and Rs 1,200 per kg to traders who may have charged up to Rs 2,000 per kg from buyers in the retail market, depending upon the size of the fish. It is also suspected that many such consignments may be slipping across the India-Bangladesh border through the porous border with West Bengal.
“Around 10pm on Wednesday, troops of the 179Bn of the BSF stopped a truck near the passenger gate of the ICP at Petrapole for a routine search. The fish was packed in nine white bags in a secret compartment inside the cabin of the truck. The driver, identified as Biplab Shil, a resident of Dinbandhunagar in Bongaon, has been apprehended and handed over to the police along with the bags. During interrogation, Shil has confessed that he was on his way back to India after delivering goods to Bangladesh, when one Miraj Chaudhary handed over the consignment for transport to India. Shil was to hand over the bags to Khokan, a security guard at the parking space in Narharipur in Bongaon and receive Rs 5,000 for his effort. Khokan was to hand over the fish to somebody named Pankaj,” said a senior BSF official.
Hilsa from Bangladesh is not uncommon in the markets of Kolkata and the districts, but the fish is exported officially by the neighbouring country much later in the season. However, there was a dispute that held up exports from Bangladesh for seven years. This ended in 2019. The Bangladeshi variety normally doesn’t fetch the price that the fresh catch does. Traders, however, said that with a severe crisis in the market, even the Bangladeshi hilsa may have touched Rs 1,800-2,000 per kg.
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