7 get 2yrs' jail for selling jatka

A mobile court sentenced seven fish traders to two years’ imprisonment at a fish market in Dhaka’s Jatrabari area early today for selling jatka (hilsa less than 10 inches long).

The convicts are Nur Alam, 20, Ripon Hossain, 24, Solaiman, 28, Rubel, 21, Joyban Arifin, 34, Ismail Hossain, 38, and Sajib Barman, 44.

A team of Rapid Action Battalion along with the officials of Department of Fisheries launched a drive at the fish market at 10:00pm yesterday, Executive Magistrate Md Sarwoer Alam, who led the operation, told The Daily Star.

During the five-hour drive, the team arrested the seven fishmongers and seized eight tonnes of Jatka fish from them, he said.

Later, the mobile court run by Rab sentenced the seven to two years’ in prison each.  

The seized fish will be distributed among different orphanages of the city today, he said.