<i>Novel way of cheating hilsa lovers</i>
A hilsa supplier in Barisal has been sued for hoodwinking customers by inserting marbles through the gills to increase weight of the popular fish that is selling for high prices in the market now.
Mosharraf Hossain, owner of fish exporting firm Sayem Traders on Port Road in Barisal city, filed the case with Barisal Kotwali police station on Tuesday against hilsa fish supplier Zakir Hossain, said Shaheduzzaman, officer in-charge of Barisal Kotwali police station.
The novel way of cheating came to light as Dr Sayem, a city resident, purchased five hilsa from Port Road wholesale market on Tuesday and found some marbles weighing nearly 500 grams inside three of the fishes after cutting those at his house, said Anwar Hossain Babu, assistant fishery officer of Barisal.
Following the allegation, police and officials of the fisheries department rushed to the spot and seized two more hilsa with marbles inside.
They also detained two fish traders from the spot. But they were released after the case was filed against Zakir, Anwar added.
Preliminary investigation revealed that a section of unscrupulous suppliers have been using the unfair means to artificially increase the weight of hilsa fish to make exorbitant profit.
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