Processed shark fins worth Rs 8 lakh have been seized from a Singapore-bound passenger at the airport here, Customs authorities said on Tuesday.
Dharbar Latheef, hailing from Tiruchirappalli, was intercepted on Monday and interrogated following which a carton box with him was checked, the Customs said in a press release.
The check yielded 14 kg of marine products similar to shark fins costing Rs 8 lakh in the international market, the release said.
Later, the wildlife crime control bureau confimed the products to be processed shark fins the export of which was prohibited by a foreign trade policy, it said.
The fins are used for preparing soups in high-end restaurants abroad and considered as a symbol of prosperity by the Chinese.
The practice of using fins was leading to a decline in shark population, the release said.