An elderly woman, Pushpa Kar, a resident of Chakphuldubi village on Sagar Island from the Indian state of West Bengal, pulled out a giant fish from a river on Saturday, which fetched her Rs300,000(Dh15,000).
A twitter user, PoojaMehta tweeted: “Bengal woman turns rich overnight.”
The catch was sold at the local market for Rs6,200(Dh311) per kilogram, reportedly.
Talking to the local news source, Kar said: “The fish turned out to be a jackpot for me. I got more than Rs3 lakh by selling it in the wholesale market at Rs6,200 per kilogram.
“I have never seen such a giant fish in my life. It is called ‘Bhola’ [Silver Croaker] fish in Bengali.”
According to the locals, the size of the fish and the amount it fetched were both unprecedented.
Reportedly, the woman spotted the fish floating in the river and jumped in, and it took some effort on her part to drag it to the riverbank. It was dead when she spotted it.
Locals helped her carry the fish to the market. “The fish most was probably killed as it collided with a vessel,” a villager said while talking to an Indian news channel.
On the other hand, local traders said that the fish would have fetched more amount if it had not started to decompose.
The fat of the fish, called blubber, is sold at a high price and exported to countries in Southeast Asia. It is said that dried blubber or fish maw can fetch up to Rs80,000(Dh4000) per kilogram or even higher.
