Four arrested for smuggling endangered insect

SRINAGAR: Four people were arrested in Leh for allegedly smuggling 90 kg of endangered caterpillar mushroom insect, used for making many Ayurvedic and Chinese medicines, worth over eight crores in the international market, police said.

The species Cordyceps Sinensis known as caterpillar mushroom insect in medical terms was being smuggled to China, Superintendent of police Leh B S Tooty said.

"We had reliable information that the endangered species was being exported illegally outside the country to China," he said, adding smugglers used the course of Indus river, which has frozen due to sub zero temperatures to smuggle their goods to China.

"As many as 90 kgs of the insect was recovered during the search of the vehicle in which the four were travelling," he added.

All the four arrested were locals from Leh, he said, adding the market value of one kilogram is Rs nine lakh so the cost of total wildlife product seized is approximately Rs eight crores.

The insect is used for making products for treating diseases like hypertension, cancer, lungs and lever diseases.