By IANS
New Delhi : The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested three people and seized 60 shahtoosh shawls from them during a raid at an upmarket hotel in south Delhi.
The three accused identified as Rashid Khan, Mushtaq and Bisharat were arrested Monday with the shawls while they were trying to sell them to a customer. A car of one of the accused was also seized.
The shawls were brought from Jammu and Kashmir to New Delhi by these traders for selling them in the international market. They had covertly advertised the products on the Internet to attract international buyers.
Shahtoosh shawls are made from the skin of the Tibetan antelope, which is an endangered animal.
“The traders are now being interrogated by the CBI to find out their links,” Ashok Kumar, vice-chairman, Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), said. CBI and WTI, a non-profit conservation organisation, have been working together to control this trade.
Despite repeated seizures of shahtoosh shawls in Britain, US, Hong Kong, Nepal and the United Arab Emirates, the trade continues in the Kashmir valley.
“The seizure shows that shahtoosh wool still reaches Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir from Tibet, though greater vigil on the trade routes was believed to have decreased the trade,” said Kumar.