Play store
A fish wholesaler in Jashore has been fined Tk 5,000 for allegedly selling Indian hilsa as locally sourced fish, according to the Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection.
The fine was imposed on Karnaphuli Fish, a wholesale outlet at the city’s Barabazar fish market, during a raid on Wednesday afternoon.
The operation was led by Selimuzzaman, assistant director of the Jashore office of the Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection.
During the inspection, the wholesaler failed to produce documents showing the purchase and sale of the imported Indian hilsa or evidence of its prescribed price, officials said.
The consumer rights team also inspected several retail and wholesale fish outlets at the market. Karnaphuli Fish was instructed to sell imported hilsa at the government-set price and preserve all necessary import and trading documents.
Sadar Upazila Fisheries Officer Ripon Kumar Ghosh and members of law enforcement agencies were present during the drive.
Indian hilsa has recently been entering Bangladesh to help meet demand in the domestic market. In the first two months of fiscal year 2026-27, 352,786 kg of hilsa was imported through Benapole Land Port in Jashore by 19 importers.
The imported fish is reportedly being sold in domestic markets as “Barishal hilsa”, raising concerns that consumers are being charged higher prices for imported fish under the guise of locally sourced hilsa.
