Banned Thai mangur fish worth Rs 15 lakh seized in Bareilly

Bareilly: A large consignment of suspected banned Thai mangur fish was seized from a truck on the Bareilly National Highway in the Fatehganj West area on Wednesday.

A joint team of the fisheries department and police, led by divisional deputy director Gayatri Pandey, intercepted a suspicious truck near the Wahgul river bridge. The driver fled on spotting the team.

“During the search, officials seized around 20–25 quintals (including water weight) of fish fingerlings, estimated to be worth about Rs 15 lakh. Preliminary findings suggest the consignment was being transported from West Bengal to Haryana,” Pandey told TOI.

Acting on further inputs, the team traced the vehicle to the Mirganj area, where it was found abandoned after the accused escaped.

Senior revenue officials, including SDM Alok Kumar Singh, Naib Tehsildar Arvind Kumar, and lekhpal Aditya Gangwar, later reached the spot. Samples of the fish have been sent to a laboratory in Lucknow for testing.

The truck has been parked at Fatehganj West police station. Officials said further action will be taken based on the lab report.