Man arrested for smuggling Shahtoosh shawls of over Rs 1.5 cr

The accused, identified as Umar Bashir Dar, was intercepted at the IGI airport yesterday and found carrying 32 Shahtoosh shawls and 70 Pashmina shawls, customs official said.

"The shawls were preliminarily examined by the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau officer who confirmed that these 32 shawls contain Shahtoosh hair fibres," a customs official said.

The passenger was arrested today, the official said, adding, the shawls were seized by the customs officials.

Possession, import or export of Shahtoosh shawls is prohibited under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.

The value of these shawls in the international market is about Rs 1.67 crore, he said.

The shawls made of 'Shahtoosh' is different from other wool in as much as it cannot be harvested, shorn or combed from the animal because it is an under-fleece and the only way to obtain Shahtoosh is to kill and skin the 'Chiru' (Tibetan Antelope, scientific name- Pantholops hodgsonil).

Chiru is an endangered species as per the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

Last week, customs officials had seized from a passenger at the IGI airport 2,445 shark teeth, the import of which is also prohibited under the Wildlife Protection Act.