By IANS,
Shimla : A Himachal Pradesh resident was arrested Wednesday for smuggling prized pashmina wool from across the China border, police said.
Two trucks laden with over 9,000 kg of pashmina wool were seized from a village in Kinnaur district Monday. A small quality of banned shahtoosh wool was also found in the consignment.
Superintendent of Police Ashok Kumar told IANS that Kamal Nand, a resident of Nako village in Kinnaur, was arrested in the case.
“The samples of shahtoosh were sent to the Wildlife Institute of India in Dehradun for analysis,” he added.
Shahtoosh is the most expensive wool in the world and is used for making shawls and scarves. The wool comes from the Tibetan antelope’s down hair.
The accused has been booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and Wildlife Protection Act.
“Since pashmina wool is not available in the region, it was smuggled from across the border,” Kumar added.
Himachal Pradesh shares a porous border with China and police say smuggling of rare species of fauna and Chinese goods like blankets and thermos flasks across the border is quite frequent.